South-east: One Week Shutdown Begins

By Charles Igbo

Unless the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, changes its mind and recants, the five States in the South-east of Nigeria, beginning from Friday, November 5, 2021, will be shutdown.

The Zone will be reduced to a Ghost Zone. While economic and social activities in other Zones of the Federation will be in full swing, the South-east Zone will remain dead, literally, for a week.

IPOB issued an order to that effect. Last week, it had given the Federal Government an ultimatum to release its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, unconditionally, or it would lock down the South-east between November 5, 2021 and November 10, 2021.

Kanu is in the custody of the Federal Government being prosecuted at an Abuja High Court for sundry issues including terrorism and treasonable felony.

For months, IPOB has used its shutdown orders, popular as sit-at-home, as a weapon to pressurise the Federal Government into releasing Kanu. So far, it has not worked. Kanu remains in FG’s custody, and his prosecution continuing.

Unless the behind-the-scene moves being made by Ohanaeze Ndigbo and the South-east Caucus of the National Assembly works, Kanu’s trial, from all indications, will go full circle.

The sit-at-home order was initially for every Monday of every week, but after appeals which centred on the harm to the Zone, including the disruption in schools, IPOB reduced it to only the days Kanu would appear in Court. But it has not worked.

More out of fear, every Monday in the South-east has become a no-go-out day. Those who had dared, have traumatic stories to tell. Some had died for daring. Businesses have collapsed. Schools, including tertiary institutions are shutdown every Monday.

Both Anambra and Enugu State Governments have had to include Saturdays as school days to make up for Mondays. And, even though IPOB denies complicity in the every Monday violence, a “rogue” group still manages to wreak havoc on the people.

In the instant case, even though IPOB vehemently denies, not a few people believe it is targeted at the November 6, 2021, Anambra Governorship election.

Many people think it is counter productive.

They believe that shutdown or not, “election” will hold; results will be produced, a Governor would emerge. They also believe that blood,   both of the innocent and of the guilty will flow. A number of the victims will be from the Zone.

Beyond that, not a few people are, also, worried about the impact and implications of a one-week shutdown of the Zone.

Schools will be shutdown. And so will every other activities. The question people are asking is how the ordinary people, especially, those who depend on everyday struggles will survive.  And they ask of what use it will be, especially, as it is well known that the FG will not buckle under the ultimatum and release Kanu? The chorus from Abuja and other parts of the country is: “Let them go ahead, let them continue. It is their Zone that they are hurting.”

All appeals by individuals and groups to IPOB to cancel the shutdown order has, so far, been ignored. The effect it will have on the Anambra election has been pointed out. But IPOB says its order has nothing to do with that. It says it did not ask anybody not to vote. But, in same breath, it is asking people to be mindful of their security. It didn’t need to say more than that to force people to sit-at-home.

Unfortunately, even if IPOB rescinds its order before November 6, it comes a little  late. Not many people will risk going out. And that could continue until November 10.

That is the IPOB effect.