Biafra Day: Hoodlums chase out traders, pupils, students

There was fear among residents in Onitsha and environs in Anambra State, yesterday, as hoodlums, who claimed they were enforcing ‘Biafra Day,’ invaded some schools, chasing out pupils and students from their classrooms.

The miscreants also invaded markets and public places in the commercial city to chase out traders and workers. There was panic as people scampered, following rumours that ‘Biafra Day,’ celebrated every May 30, was shifted to yesterday.

However, some people decided to stay indoors for fear of being attacked, while many, who attempted to go out, returned to their homes, as the hoodlums were harassing people.

A resident in Onitsha, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told our reporter that parents, including mothers and guardians, had to rush across to the schools to bring their children back home.

A trader, Mr. Ihenna Orji, said the miscreants arrived at one of the markets as early as 8:30am and directed all the traders to close their shops and leave.

He said: “The hoodlums were not armed; they insisted that we should close our shops and go home. They did not cause any damage to our shops and articles.”

Meanwhile, the Media and Publicity Secretary of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Emma Powerful, had refuted the rumour, saying the group had not declared any sit-at-home in the South East. He warned that there’s no sit-at-home at all in the entire South East and people should disregard such information.

IN another development, a group, Association of South East Town Unions, (ASETU), also known as Igbo Town Unions, has appealed to President Muhammad Buhari to apply prerogative of mercy and release the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, in the interest of peace and well-being of the people.

The plea was contained in a press release signed by the group’s National President, Chief Emeka Diwe, yesterday, and made available to The Guardian in Owerri.

The group said that granting the appeal would end the continued loss of innocent lives, destruction of the South East economy and restore stability and progress in the region.

The release reads: “ASETU and, indeed, Igbo in general are most grieved by the continued detention of Kanu, an action, which has not helped the security situation in Igbo land and Nigeria, but has introduced the monstrous and retrogressive “sit-at-home” with the attendant worsening of the security situation and destruction of the South East economy.”