By Gideon Njoku
Umahi: “Any Store owner who does not open on May 31 will lose that Shop”
Kanu: “I dare Umahi to do that. Anybody that comes out that day, in any part of Igboland, will be buried that day”
Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi, is in an offensive mood.
On Saturday, he sacked, in one fell swoop, 1,000 people, including his Aides and Board members.
Reports from Ebonyi say the Governor sacked them on suspicion of their being sympathetic to the People’s Democratic Party, PDP.
The Governor had, earlier, dumped the PDP, a party under which umbrella he was elected a Governor two times, in favour of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
But the implications of the sack of 1,000 people pales in the face of the face-off he is having with Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the Leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB.
The Group was, a couple of years ago, proscribed by the Federal Government, with the support of South-east Governors. The exception was Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma, who was not in office then.
However, the proscription has done nothing to diminish the activities of IPOB which is fighting for an Independent Republic of Biafra.
Umahi’s face-off stems from the declaration of a sit-at-home order by Kanu on May 31st in remembrance of all the Igbo who died during the civil war in defence of an Independent Biafra, and those who died thereafter in the struggle for Biafra.
The sit-at-home remembrance is, usually, marked on May 30, by the Movement for the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, then led by Ralph Uwazuruike. But IPOB has since edged both Uwazuruike and MASSB out.
However, this year’s fell on a Sunday, prompting Kanu to shift it to Monday, so as not to disrupt Church Services.
He, therefore, ordered a total lock down in all the South-east States, and other Igbo speaking areas.
Kanu ordered that there should not be any movement, at all.
But Governors, stung by what they see as Kanu’s audacity, has asked citizens to go about their normal businesses.
Umahi, in a statement, not only queried Kanu’s powers to order a sit-at-home, but asked him who he discussed with.
He, then, went further to order that all markets and shops in Ebonyi, as well as all public places be open. The Governor warned owners of stores that they stand the risk of losing their stores if they obey Kanu and lock them.
Umahi: “Those who lock up their stores on Monday, May 31, will lose those shops.”
But Kanu has called his bluff. In a broadcast, he dared Umahi to implement his threat. And, for good measure, warned: “There will be absolutely no movement on Monday the 31st. Anybody who dares, will be buried that day.”
Already, in the South-east, people are panicking already. Soldiers and Policemen have taken over most places, since Friday, May 29, 2021
The very busy River Niger bridge, Onitsha, was blocked by soldiers on May 29. They neither allowed any vehicle into Onitsha, nor out of Onitsha. Hundreds of travellers were stranded on both sides of the head bridge, as all vehicles were packed.
The action of the soldiers was, reportedly, triggered by the alleged killing of five soldiers in Anambra.
Meanwhile, in Imo State, the rampage by gunmen continued. In Naze, a community within the Owerri Capital Territory, two Airforce personnel were killed on Friday, prompting soldiers to invade the Community in search of the perpetrators of the dastardly act. In the process, fatalities were, allegedly, recorded.
On Saturday, gunmen, literally putting a lie to the assurances by Governor Uzodinma that their activities were over in the State, in addition to the Friday killing of the Airforce personnel, attacked Government facilities in Atta Community. The facilities attacked include the Divisional Police Office, a Magistrate Court, a High Court, and a Health Centre.
It is most unlikely that there will be much movement in the South-east on the May 30 and 31. If there is, it will be very minimal. Aside from the IPOB order, the heavy presence of Security personnel is so scary that people would rather stay home.
Ironically, that helps the IPOB sit-at-home order.
