Hoodlums suspected to be enforcing sit-at-home order at Ezzangbo community, the Ebonyi State hometown of self-acclaimed Prime Minister of Biafran Government in exile, Simon Ekpa, on Monday, burnt three vehicles, five motorcycles and other valuable items.
It was gathered that the hoodlums, who operated in a Sienna bus and numbering up to eight, equally chased away petty traders and market women who had displayed their goods for sale, chanting, “No more markets in Igbo land…”
A video, which trended on social media a few hours before our correspondent arrived at the scene on Monday, showed vehicles, motorcycles, stores and other valuable items going up in flames, and residents scampering for safety.
The PUNCH reports that this was the third time the area was attacked by hoodlums this year.
The Ebonyi State Police Command confirmed the Monday mayhem.
The police spokesperson, Onome Onovwakpoyeya, said, “Today 02/10/2023, armed men, suspected to be IPOB/ESN members in a Sienna car attacked commuter buses, tricycles and motorcycles at Ezzangbo Junction.
“They burnt down three commuter buses, four motorcycles and one tricycle. No life was lost.
“Operatives of the Command have been dispatched to the scene and its environs to fish out the perpetrators. And we believe that before the end of the day, the perpetrators will be apprehended.”
Meanwhile, the Minister of Works, Mr David Umahi, on Monday hailed Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, for ending the illegal sit-at-home in his state.
Umahi spoke when he inspected the collapsed bridge at the Enugu end of the Enugu- Port Harcourt Expressway according to a statement by the governor’s media officer on Monday.
The former Ebonyi State governor described the end of the sit-at-home in Enugu as a major step forward for the Igbo nation.
The PUNCH reported that the Enugu State governor in June outlawed sit-at-home in the state, saying it was injurious to the economy.
Umahi said, “Let me thank you for being able to courageously stop sitting at home in Enugu State (Monday). It is a major thing you have done for the Igbo. It is a major thing you have done for the country.”
