Deserted streets and a tension-soaked atmosphere in Owerri – the Imo State capital – on 9 September 2021, preceded President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit. The capture of this historic city in 1970 forced General Odumegwu Ojukwu, the Biafran president, to flee to Cote D’Ivoire, signalling the end of the civil war and its current historic significance.
Known as the eastern heartland, Imo State – especially Owerri – was hitherto a beehive of commercial activities. However, it has all but become a ghost town due to the strict observance of a sit-at-home order by residents.
Every week, residents of Imo State as well as those of four other states in the South-East, stay at home in protest of the continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (a secessionist group), who is being accused of treason and terrorism. Residents say the sit-at-home order is usually
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