By Vincent Ujumadu

FOR the first time since the leadership of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, ordered the weekly Monday sit at home in the entire South East geopolitical zone following the detention of its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, residents of the zone recently and boldly said enough is enough by totally ignoring the one ordered by the Finland-based Ebonyi State – born Simon Ekpa to stop them from participating in the February 25th presidential and national assembly elections.

IPOB, which initiated sit-at-home order in the region, had since asked residents of the area to ignore the order except on the days its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has court cases.

Few weeks to the election, Ekpa was making daily broadcasts from his base in Europe and threatening that those who would step out of their houses to cast their votes would have themselves to blame as their families might not see them again. Indeed, he ordered that the sit at home should begin one week to the election and, had the people obeyed it, the economy of the region would have been crippled further.

In fact, when Ekpa’s armed foot soldiers followed up the order with violent attacks on police stations and offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in some of the states in the zone, it became a serious concern, such that there were fears that elections might not take place in the zone. These attacks, which claimed many lives, including some policemen, as well as property worth millions of naira, were meant to put fear in the minds of the people. As the day of the election drew near, there was so much apprehension and uncertainty among the people. However, the various political parties and their candidates surprisingly ignored Simon Ekpa’s threats and went ahead with their preparations for the election.

Although the mainstream leadership of IPOB, through its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, had since distanced the Biafra agitators from the sit-at-home order, Ekpa sustained the threat with the attacks on police and INEC formations.

What, however, gave people the confidence to come out to vote was the assurance by security operatives that they would be adequately protected. Two days before the election, the Deputy Inspector General of Police, DIG, in charge of South East geopolitical zone, John Ogbonnaya Amadi visited the states under his supervision and handed down a serious warning to the separatist agitators to steer clear of the zone, insisting that the election must take place in all the approved poling units. 

To the DIG, there is nothing like Biafraland in any part of Nigeria and assured the people that with what was on ground, there was nothing to fear in any part of the South East.

Amadi’s words: “People should not bother themselves about those who have been shouting that there will be no election in Biafraland because there is nothing like Biafraland. This part of the country is a bonafide part of the Nigerian state and nobody born of a woman can stop election in the South East. 

“We are ready to ensure free, fair and credible election because that is the wish of Mr. President and we are carrying out the mandate of the Inspector General of Police and the Commander- in- Chief of the Armed Forces to prove to the world that we can do it much better.

“Therefore, there will be election in every part of Igboland and those who think they can scuttle it should be prepared to pay with their lives. If anybody comes out to disrupt the process, that person will get it hot.

“ We want people to warn their wards that security agencies are ready to protect the people and should anyone try to do otherwise, security operatives will deal with him squarely.”

 While directing security operatives on how to protect the  poling units, INEC offices and police formations, the DIG said the reason some of the security breaches occur is due to complacency on their part. The police should know that it is a battlefield and anybody in a war front must know that it is to kill or be killed. 

“When you have that at the back of your mind, you will not be taken unawares. Make sure that the structures we have put in place for this election are functioning properly and no policeman should give excuses for leaving his job as you will be held responsible for your actions and inactions,” he told them.

Perhaps what helped to give the people more confidence to participate in the election was the reported arrest of Simon Ekpa in Finland, with the people saying they never knew he could after all, fall into the security net.

A chieftain of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Okechukwu Isiguzoro said the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization had to notify the  Federal Government officially that Simon Ekpa, being responsible for increased violence and killings of Igbo and other Nigerians in South East, should be arraigned by the Government of Finland without delay before he escapes from that country.

Isiguzoro said: “Ndigbo have advised Federal Government to know that dialogue with the Finnish Embassy in Nigeria is not enough to curb terrorism being sponsored by self-acclaimed Biafra provocateur, Ekpa.

“Ndigbo have assembled documents proving that Ekpa is sponsoring killing of Igbo and Nigerians, especially security agents, burning of public properties, disruption of economic and social activities in the region in the last six months.

“Ndigbo will collaborate with other Nigerians to apprehend those who are seen to be enforcing Ekpa’s sit-at-home from February 23 to 28 in an attempt to disrupt the coming presidential elections on February 25 and hand them over to security agencies.

“Elections must hold in the region, as Ekpa is working with Igbo adversaries to ambush their votes.

“Ndigbo were surprised that after Ekpa tendered his secret apologies to Igbo leaders for atrocities he claimed he committed unknowingly against them and South East, he went ahead with his earlier plans to scuttle elections in the region after he has been compromised. This must be resisted as local vigilantes and community-based security outfits must join hands in efforts to stamp out terrorism and banditry in the region.

“Federal Government should continue to demand, from Finnish Government, the extradition of Ekpa to face prosecutions in Nigeria.

“Nigerians, especially Igbo in Finland, are ready to partner with Nigerian authorities to arrest Ekpa, as $50,000 bounty on him has been increased to $100,000 for anyone in Finland and Europe who has useful information on his new location.”

The South East Council of Traditional Rulers also urged its subjects and residents of the area to ignore any sit-at-home order and massively go out to vote for their preferred candidates during the election. In a statement signed by Igwe Lawrence Agubuzu, Chairman of South-East Council of Traditional Rulers and Chairman of Enugu State Council of Traditional Rulers, Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe, who is the  Chairman of Anambra State Council of Traditional Rulers, as well as Eze Joseph Nwabeke, the Chairman, Abia State Council of Traditional Rulers, the Monarchs condemned the action of Ekpa and those he is using to cause mayhem in the South East.

These actions taken by Ohaneze and the Royal Fathers helped in no small way to give the people the confidence to go and vote, hence the large turnout of voters in most of the communities in the South East.

Luckily, there were no incidents bordering on insecurity during the election in any part of the region and the expectation is that the weekly sit at home will soon become a thing of the past.