Businesses and social activities across the entire South East region were brought to a halt on Monday as residents observed a sit-at-home protest declared by pro-Biafra separatist groups.
From Anambra to Enugu, Ebonyi, Abia, and Imo states, major roads were completely deserted, and shops, schools, government offices, and secretariats remained closed in strict adherence to the sit-at-home directive.
Despite the presence of security forces in some areas, their efforts did not encourage residents to defy the order.
In Enugu State, some of the most central and usually busy roads such as Ogui Road, Presidential Road, Agbani Road, Obiagu Road, Enugu-Abakaliki Road, Emene Road, and Abakpa Nike Road, were left eerily quiet.
Petrol stations, schools, markets, and even event centers were shut down, following the sit-at-home order.
Although security personnel were seen patrolling the deserted major roads, only a few commercial tricycle drivers could be spotted shuttling through inner streets. Similar scenes played out in Owerri, the capital of Imo State, where key roads, including the Aba-Owerri Expressway and the bustling MCC and Poly/Nekede roads, were completely devoid of traffic.
In Anambra State’s capital, Awka, as well as in its two main commercial hubs—Nnewi and Onitsha—the situation was much the same. The streets were desolate, with the popular Eke Awka Market closed and the office of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) locked. Motor parks also remained abandoned.
The widespread observance of the sit-at-home left many residents stranded, as public transport services like buses and tricycles were unavailable. One Awka resident shared their ordeal, explaining how they were forced to walk nearly 3 kilometers from Eke Awka Market to Aroma Roundabout, where they hoped to find a ride home. “This is the most strictly observed sit-at-home in recent times,” they told Sahara Reporters.
Even in Abia State, which typically shows less compliance with the sit-at-home directives, the protest was fully observed on Monday. Aba, the state’s commercial hub and the home state of the detained Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, experienced a complete shutdown of businesses and social activities. Military helicopters could be seen hovering over Enugu and Ebonyi states, reinforcing security and ensuring there were no breaches of law and order.
In Abakaliki, the capital of Ebonyi State, government officials also complied with the sit-at-home directive, leading to deserted streets, closed schools, and shuttered businesses.
This total shutdown followed a stern warning issued on Sunday by Enugu State’s Commissioner of Police, Kanayo Uzuegbu, who cautioned pro-Biafra agitators that any attempts to disrupt peace in the state would be swiftly met with force.
His warning came in response to a call by a group claiming to represent the Biafran cause, which had announced a two-day sit-at-home protest across the five South Eastern states, along with parts of Delta, Rivers, and Kogi states, scheduled for Monday, October 21, and Tuesday, October 22.
