Sit-at-home: Ebonyi Police Force declared lawlessness to be a zero-tolerance policy

The Ebonyi State Police Command and other security agencies have pledged to conduct state-wide intensive patrols in response to the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra’s (IPOB) recent declaration of a sit-at-home order.

IPOB had set Monday as the date for its weekly sit-at-home program. The secessionist group, however, was forced to call off the action due to pressure.

Despite the suspension, parts of the region saw a ghost town on Monday last week.

However, in a statement issued by DSP Loveth Odah, the state Police Public Relations Officer, the command warned any group or organizers of the sit-at-home program to heed the order or face the consequences.

According to the PPRO, the Commissioner of Police, Mr Aliyu Garba, has directed Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers, and Heads of Tactical/Operational Units to monitor the secessionist group’s activities in order to maintain law and order in the state.

The Commissioner stated that the command has zero tolerance for lawlessness, adding that the state’s security agencies would no longer fold their hands and watch as any group or individual violates the fundamental rights of law-abiding citizens, emphasizing that Ebonyi has always been a peaceful state.

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He reassured residents that they would be safe, and urged them to go about their lawful business without fear of being intimidated or harassed by any group or individual.

“The general public, particularly parents and guardians, should monitor and discourage their children/wards from engaging in any unlawful activity or criminal acts,” he said, adding that “the long arm of the law will definitely catch up with any criminal.”