Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi has ordered the immediate dismissal of civil servants who were absent from work under the guise of the sit-at-home directive of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
He also threatened that any shop or store locked will also lose the right of occupancy of such a store.
Umahi disclosed this to newsmen in Abakaliki at Ikwo local government area of the state while stating that IPOB had already suspended the order.
He said: “People did not come to work on the guise of sit-at-home. In as much as those who said sit-at-home have denounced that there is no sit-at-home, that people also take refuge in that excuse.
“I have directed that any civil servant who fails to come to work, it is an automatic dismissal. Any site that is not working, the workers are dismissed and any shop or store all over Ebonyi State that closes will lose the right of occupancy of such store and I want it to go viral, I want it to be announced.”
Umahi, further noted that those advocating for sit-at-home in South East are trying to cause problems in the zone, maintaining that as the leader of South-East governors, he will not allow war in the zone.
“The economy of South-East will be destroyed by the reason of very few that are self-seeking. We are known for trade and anyone who is advocating sitting at home in the South-East is evil because the South-East has not caused the problem of anybody.
“If anybody is wagging war, that war cannot be in South-East and this is very important and it is important that our people should rise to understand what is going on, it is not in the interest of South-East.
“You can’t kill the people, destroy the economy and say that you are fighting for South-East. We must rise to say no to this evil plan to destroy our economy and kill our people and I keep saying that there is nothing like unknown gunmen. It is we that are killing ourselves.
“The known gunmen are our people, people being killed are our people and this is terrible. The Igbo man has never been known for this kind of rascality. Just two days back, a policeman was killed again at Ezza South.
“The security people that have dedicated their lives to save us are being attacked. What senseless and manners should that be?” he queried.
Meanwhile, offices, banks, markets, shops were all providing skeletal services when Tribune Online moved round the state.
Credit: Nigeria Tribune