There were commotion and panic in the Enugu State capital on Wednesday as residents scampered to safety in various parts of Enugu city over rumours of unknown gunmen enforcing a one-week sit-at-home.
Schools and markets were abruptly shut down after the rumours spread despite the presence of security operatives on major roads and strategic places.
SaharaReporters observed that students in schools that have no perimeter fences were immediately dismissed to go home.
There were claims that some gunmen were shooting and enforcing sit-at-home at Obiagu, Old Park, Garrik, Abakpa and Emene but no one saw the alleged shooting.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that Simon Ekpa, the self-proclaimed Prime Minister of the Biafra Republic Government in Exile and disciple of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, had declared a one-week sit-at-home protest in the Southeast region to demand Kanu’s immediate and unconditional release.
However, following the compliance with the sit-at-home directive on Monday and Tuesday in Enugu city, the state government condemned it and threatened to indefinitely close businesses and schools that observe the "illegal sit-at-home" starting from Tuesday.
The government in a statement issued on Tuesday, signed by the Secretary to the state government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, said the sit-at-home exercise was inimical to the state and programmes of the government to transform the state.
"Government reiterates its ban on any form of illegal sit-at-home in all parts of the state, as it is evil and antithetical to all values we hold dear as a people, such as the Igbo spirit of industry, hard work, creativity and productivity," it said.
The state government urged residents and the general public to go about their normal daily activities as adequate security measures had been put in place to protect them.
It vowed that it will no longer sit by and watch faceless groups and misguided individuals issue illegal orders, "dictating to us how to lead our lives, when to go to work or market and when our children go to school, while they ply their trade and their children go to school”.
"This is no longer acceptable and must be confronted and defeated with every power and resource at our disposal," it said.
It further warned that the state will deploy the full instrumentality of the law such as the Cybercrime Act 2015 to go after and prosecute anybody, individuals, groups and organisations intentionally encouraging the illegal sit-at-home order by "instilling fear in residents, raising false alarm to disturb public peace, through fake news sharing and propagation of falsehood connected with the illegal sit-at-home order on social media platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, among others. This, however, is by no means, depriving citizens freedom of speech and information as enshrined in the constitution."
Although calm has since returned, streets and roads have been completely deserted while businesses and markets have been shut down.
A resident of the state, Michael Ogbonna who spoke to SaharaReporters around 12:30 pm said there was an uneasy calm in the state capital after the incident.
He said, "I just drove from Independence Layout, through Rangers Avenue to Ogui Junction and back. There is uneasy calm everywhere but a couple of brave bus commercial drivers and conductors are still plying the road shouting destinations.
"Some commuters were also seen clustered around the 82 Div of Nigerian Army gateway. I also sighted pockets of security operatives at New Haven and Ogui junctions, none in patrol vehicles. People are very scanty on the roads."
Another resident, Ejike Okorie told SaharaReporters that what happened on Wednesday was unverifiable information.
He said such news spreads like wildfire, just to cause panic attacks in the state.
"Shooting reported at a particular place at a given time and another says nothing happened at the same place at the same time. Are the attackers invincible?
“For instance, Ogui Road up to Holy Ghost was busy even by 9 am this morning. Government agents were repairing the failed portion of the market road opposite Holy Ghost, Gate/Onitsha South Park and I saw it myself.
"So at what point did the gunmen come and from where? Are they invincible to have passed all the traffic gridlock spanning from the GTbank junction to Holy Ghost? I had to park at the Egbuna roundabout and walked on foot up to Onitsha South to transact my business and went back and collected my car, and went to a radio station, through the Ogui Road/Artisan/Ebeano Tunnel/Okpara Avenue route to the station. And these Roads were very busy.
"So, from where did the gunmen in Hilux and Keke come and started shooting? Simply panic attack mongers went to work and there was pandemonium everywhere to achieve their aim," he said.