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Today has been set aside by the separatist Indigenous People of Biafra across the South-East to celebrate Biafra Heroes Day.
The separatist group declared May 30 sit-at-home across the five South-East states, warning that there would be no business activities and no movements to honour Igbo people killed during the civil war of 1967-1970.
To this effect, the Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, Nnaghe Itam, has deployed security officers across schools in the state to monitor the celebration against breaking of law and order.
Also, the Enugu State government on Thursday beefed up security even as it rejected the sit-at-home order called by IPOB to mark the day.
IPOB had last week, in a statement by its spokesman, Emma Powerful, advised the West African Examination Council to shift WASSCE papers slated for May 30.
It similarly advised the Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Anambra State to shift its convocation slated for the same date.
It was reliably gathered that heavy security presence with patrol vehicles in IBOP state with many making emergency purchase in the market ahead of the sit-at-home order.
This was just as some of the students taking part in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination were seen relocating to areas near their examination centres, so as to avoid being stranded as IPOB has declared no movement across the region.
Customers also besieged banks and Automated Teller Machine points to withdraw cash in order to make purchases and get ready for the day.
A resident, in Akwa market Grace Acho, said, “I heard that markets would not open tomorrow, I took permission from the office to rush here to buy some foodstuffs and get ready for tomorrow.
“I have also asked my son taking the exam tomorrow to go and stay at my sister’s house which is near his examination centre, so that he could trek to the exam venue to take his exam. We only pray they are allowed to take the exam because they are writing Mathematics tomorrow and it is an important subject.
“Security should be beefed up around the examination venues since it is obvious that WAEC would not shift it.”
The police spokesman in Anambra State, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed the deployment of security operatives around the markets and schools, in a statement on Wednesday.
Ikenga said the security operatives, under the “Operatives of Schools Protection Squad”, were being led by the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of the command’s Operations Department.
Ikenga said the deployment was to fortify the joint security force to address any security concerns, especially “against criminal elements enforcing illegal sit-at-home in the state” and to ensure the safety of students taking WASSCE,
IPOB spokesman, Emma Powerful, insisted that the sit-at-home remained sacrosanct saying, “The Nigerian government must understand that they cannot slaughter our heroes and, at the same time, stop us from mourning or remembering them.
“In this year’s Biafran Heroes Remembrance Day, All activities in Biafra Land are banned. Markets, schools, banks, government, and private businesses are not allowed to open. All transport services, air, sea and land transport are not allowed to operate. The entire Biafra land will be on lockdown from 6 am to 6 pm on May 30, 2024.”
