The police in Anambra State, southeast Nigeria have said they dispersed some people trying to enforce a compulsory sit-at-home exercise on Tuesday afternoon.
The police accused the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its militant wing, Eastern Security Network (ESN) of being behind the “illegal sit-at-home”, saying they also averted an attack on a bank and other security forces.
A statement issued on Wednesday morning by the spokesman for the state police command, DSP Ikenga Tochukwu, said, “Following the improved Operational and strategic positioning of both human and viable assets of the command by the Commissioner of Police CP Echeng Echeng, the joint security forces comprising of the Police and Military by 12:30 pm on 9/5/2023 dispersed illegal sit-at-home enforcers from the proscribed Indigenous group of Biafra IPOB and Eastern security Network ESN in Nkwo market, Ihiala.
“The outlawed group members armed with guns and other dangerous weapons came out in their numbers on a motorbike and started shooting sporadically, in an attempt to rob a bank and to disrupt commercial activities and vehicular movement going on in Ihaila.
“The joint operatives responded swiftly which made the armed men abandon their evil plan and took to their heels. Unfortunately, due to the indiscriminate shootings by the armed group, a stray bullet hit the chief security officer CSO of the bank on the leg and he has been taken to the hospital where he is currently receiving treatment. No life was lost.
“Meanwhile, calm has returned in the area as Police with other security forces have intensified patrols, and improved security dominance and surveillance in the state.
“In the event of any request for security service, members of the public are advised to call the following phone numbers: the Command Control Room Number at 07039194332 or the Public Relations Officer PRO at 08039334002. The 'npf rescue me app' is also available for free download on both Android and Apple IOS, for Android and iPhone users respectively.”
Meanwhile, SaharaReporters earlier reported that IPOB had declared May 30, 2023, as a day for compulsory sit-at-home for the Biafra Remembrance Day celebration.
The separatist group said every ‘Biafran’ (someone who hails from Southeast Nigeria) must honour those who died in the civil war and Biafra Nation actualisation struggle.
IPOB on Monday in a statement issued by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, asked industries, companies, transport companies (air, land and sea), hotels, schools and churches across the Southeast region of Nigeria to shut down in adherence to the order.
The secessionist group further asked people of the Southeast living in Lagos and other parts of Nigeria to join the sit-at-home order, warning all the residents of ‘Biafra territory’ not to endanger their lives or their businesses by disobeying the sit-at-home order as the directive is from IPOB leadership.