Businessmen from southeast Nigeria have lamented over constant closure of business in the zone as a result of the Sit-at-Home order of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Daily Trust reports.
IPOB has compelled residents of South East to remain indoors whenever Nnamdi Kanu, its leader, is arraigned in court.
Those who failed to comply with the order have lost lives and limbs in addition to properties.
The outlawed group took its campaign of violence to another level when gunmen broke into a Catholic Church in Onitsha, Anambra State, on Tuesday.
In an interview with journalists on Wednesday, some businessmen said over N25 billion is lost in Onitsha alone each day there is “sit-at-home”
They lamented over the loss of patronage, saying their customers have been diverting businesses to Lagos for fear of being attacked by IPOB.
Similarly, a group known as Igbo Business Forum has urged IPOB not to use the Biafran struggle to destroy the economy of the South East.
Spokesman of the group, Chief Ndubuisi Ehibundu, who spoke to reporters in Awka, capital of Anambra, lamented that between Monday and Thursday this week, the zone will loose billions because of “sit-at-home”.
“How can someone decide to ruin the economy of his people because of a struggle and come to think of it they are not more Biafran than us? You tell people to sit at home when you have nothing to manage the effect of hunger in the land and for those of us in the business sector, we lose and average of N25 billion in Onitsha alone and I believe we also lose the same sum in Aba, Nnewi; and others and this is not good for our economy.
“My colleagues in other zones are celebrating what we lost to them due to sit at home order. What is happening in the South East, if it continues, would spell doom to the zone? Those that come to the South East to transact business have deserted us and moved to Lagos instead of the normal Onitsha, Aba and Nnewi. We are loosing a lot as a result of this sit-at-home.
“We believe that that there are other ways to achieve this struggle besides closing down our shops, factories and offices to our own detriment,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chief Mbazurike Amaechi, a First Republic Minister, has expressed disappointment over the manner in which IPOB members are handling the campaign for the release of their leader.
Amaechi, who said it appeared that some persons were making money from Kanu’s plight, threatened to pull out of the negotiation for the release of Kanu.
He said that the group has failed to respect the efforts of the Igbo elders in their bid to to secure the release of the IPOB leader.
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