Passenger burnt alive as IPOB sit-at-home order turns bloody

By our reporter/ A passenger was reportedly burnt alive in Nkwogu, Ahiazu Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State on Monday as the sit-at-home order issued by the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) turned bloody.

Commercial activities were grounded in most parts of the state as residents observed the order.

Schools were also closed while students sitting for NECO examination were prevented from taking their papers.

According to eyewitness account, the deceased was inside one of the three buses that were torched by a mob.

Two of the vehicles, Hummer Buses, belonging to Libra transport company, Libra, were coming from Umuahia, Abia State capital, when they ran into a group of hoodlums suspected to be members of IPOB.

It was gathered that they shot at the tyres, which forced the bus to stop.

The passengers of the buses scuttled to safety, while one of the drivers was reportedly shot on the hip.

The passenger could not escape before the bus was burnt down.

Commercial activities were put on hold in many parts of the south-east following the sit-at-home order.

IPOB had said it would enforce a lockdown every Monday, from August 9, in the south-east until its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, is released.

Following his arrest in Kenya in June and extradition to Nigeria, Kanu was re-arraigned on charges bordering on treasonable felony brought against him by the federal government over his campaign for the separatist Republic of Biafra.

The group said the lockdown tagged “Ghost Monday” will also affect schools and marketplaces.

Despite the directives by some south-east governors for residents to ignore IPOB’s order, banks, shops and markets were closed Monday morning.