Anambra Police Convene Emergency Meeting Amid Conflicting Sit-at-Home Directives

The Anambra State Police Command has heightened security preparations ahead of Monday, following a declared sit-at-home order attributed to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). Commissioner of Police Ikioye Orutugu convened an emergency closed-door meeting with area and tactical commanders on Sunday to coordinate a security response.

The meeting, held at the police headquarters in Awka, directed an immediate increase in intelligence-led patrols, surveillance, and proactive policing to prevent any threats to public order. This move comes in reaction to a statement issued Friday by IPOB spokesperson Emma Powerful, calling for a complete lockdown of economic activities across the South-East on February 2, in solidarity with traders of Onitsha Main Market.

However, the sit-at-home directive has been publicly discredited by IPOB’s lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor. In a statement released Saturday, Ejiofor described the order as “fake” and a “calculated falsehood,” asserting that the source behind it had been compromised and that IPOB has long denounced such enforced shutdowns.

In a press release Sunday, CP Orutugu urged residents to remain vigilant and united, warning against what he termed “deliberate, recurring patterns of coordinated social media posts by some non-state actors aimed at spreading fear and misinformation.” He assured the public that adequate security measures were in place and encouraged residents to disregard unverified reports while reporting any suspicious activities.

The Anambra State Government has announced that Onitsha Main Market will reopen Monday for full commercial activities, with assurances of maximum security for traders and residents.