The Enugu State government has taken decisive action by shutting down about 106 shops and two commercial banks that observed the sit-at-home order in the state.
Simon Ekpa, the factional leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) gave the sit-at-home order last week.
The Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority (ECTDA) carried out the closures, following Governor Peter Mbah’s instructions to impose sanctions on those who comply with the sit-at-home order.
Governor Mbah declared the order illegal and promised severe penalties for violators.
The Secretary to the State Government, Prof Chidiebere Onyia emphasized that the purpose of the action was not to punish, but rather to encourage business owners not to be swayed or intimidated by the sit-at-home order.
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Prof Onyia said:
“It is not a punitive but ownership culture, where all of us come together to fight the menace of illegal sit-at-home in the state.
“We are taking it up not because Mbah is in the business of stopping economic growth but to fight those that think they can intimidate us.”
Patrols continued on Monday and big shopping malls like SPAR and ShopRite have been shut down for not following the State government’s instructions.
During the inspections, closed shops were sealed, and the owners were asked to go through a process to reopen them.
A statement read:
“We have been to ShopRite, Celebrity – a shopping mall – SPAR and others, we saw shops that were not opened and we sealed them.
“That is why ECTDA is here and the owners should go through a process to get them reopened.”
However, 85 per cent of shop owners complied with the government’s instructions and conducted their daily business at the market.
The Governor promised that he was committed to providing security and ensuring the safety of traders and their properties.
