By Steve Oko 

Umuahia, Abia State capital, Monday, witnessed a complete shutdown following a sit-at-home that nobody publicly claimed to have declared.

Although the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has denied any involvement with the sit-at-home, it might not be unconnected with the continued detention of IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

A source, who did not want to be disclosed, told Vanguard that the two-day sit-at-home was a spontaneous mass action over the refusal of access to Kanu.

The source said that since  September 24 after his last court appearance, his lawyers and family members had not been allowed access to him.

“Since nobody knows the whereabouts of Nnamdi Kanu, the people are worried and unhappy. They are willing to do anything said by anybody to see he is released.

“So, we don’t know those who called for the sit-at-home. But the masses are not happy and can obey any order by anybody provided it has to do with what can be done to enable Nnamdi regain his freedom,” the source said.

Total lockdown

Unlike previous sit-at-home protests, Monday’s sit-at-home recorded total compliance as the streets were stone-dead and the roads completely deserted.

Human and vehicular traffic was very limited although there were occasional movements of tricycles and vehicles.

Students and pupils stayed at home as schools did not open for studies.

Most private schools had before the weekend, reportedly communicated to their students and pupils that they would not open for Monday and Tuesday.

Banks also did not open to customers while only a few street shops opened for business.

Residents stayed back in their houses for fear of the unknown.

A police convoy comprising Armored Personnel Carrier, APC,  and patrol vans with two Jeeps, suspected to be that of the Commissioner of Police were observed patrolling some major streets.

The city was, however, generally peaceful as there was no incident of violence so far reported anywhere.

Recall that Kanu’s Lead Council, Aloy Ejimakor, had last week raised the alarm that the legal team was denied access to Kanu.

He accused the Department of State Services, DSS, of isolating Kanu “from all visitors”.

Ejimakor had, in a press statement issued on October 14, accused the secret police of impunity and gross violation of the law 

The statement read: “Today (14th October 2024), in violation of subsisting orders of the court, the DSS blocked the Legal Team of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from seeing him when we went to its headquarters in Abuja on a routine visitation to Mazi Kanu, pursuant to court-ordered visitation regimen.

“It will be recalled that the DSS has not allowed any visitors to see Mazi Nnamdi Kanu since his last court appearance on 24th September 2024, when Mazi Kanu had demanded the recusal of Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako from his case.

“It is now becoming increasingly clear that this latest unconstitutionality emanating from the DSS has a direct nexus to Mazi Kanu’s successful recusal of Justice Nyako, even as the recusal was subsequently vacated by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

“We wish to go on the record to recall that, in the recent past when the DSS had also violated terms of the court-ordered visitations, we levied applications before the Federal High Court to enforce its compliance but the applications have, to this day, not been scheduled for hearing.

“This anomaly leaves the uncanny impression that the DSS is above the law or even above the Constitution and the Courts.

“The DSS should know that one of the reasons for the court-ordered visitations is for Mazi Kanu’s relatives and lawyers to occasionally interact with him and have proof of his life and wellbeing.

“Thus, now that the DSS has totally blocked all access to Mazi Kanu, one might ask: What is the DSS hiding? Is Mazi Nnamdi Kanu hale and hearty?”

Vanguard News