A video and voice notes have been circulating on social media for over two weeks, warning residents of the South-East to remain indoors on October 21 and 22, saying that those days have been declared sit-at-home.

The voice note also threatened to deal with anyone who fails to comply with the directive saying it remains sacrosanct.

This development has generated panic and chaos, particularly in Anambra as some official and non-official engagements fixed for those days have been rescheduled.

For instance, our correspondent gathered that cases coming up at the law courts on those days were rescheduled for another day while school activities were also called off.

When asked, one of the court clerks at the High Court in Onitsha(name withheld), simply told our correspondent, “We heard they have declared October 21 and 22 as a sit-at-home and that necessitated the rescheduling of every engagement on those days. It was rescheduled since last week.

“The reason for the rescheduling of the cases coming up on those days is to avoid a situation where hoodlums will hijack the vehicle that may be conveying suspects to the court from the prisons.”

Our correspondent also observed that, apart from the official engagement, there was panic buying in major markets across the cities as customers were seen engaging in last-minute transactions to avoid being stranded.

The notice read, “Announcement: Good evening Dear Parents and guardians. Based on the circulating threats from IPOB, be notified that there will be no school on Monday and Tuesday, 21st and 22nd October 2024. This is strictly for security reasons. In essence, it is a precautionary measure.

“Mid-term Break begins on Wednesday, 23rd October, 2024. Therefore, students are expected to resume school on Monday, 28th October, 2024. Thanks and Remain Blessed. Signed: Management.”

But while reacting to the development, the pro-Biafran group urged the people to go about their normal business, saying the “illegal” sit-at-home declaration order did not emanate from IPOB, but rather from criminal elements and infiltrators, who are not members of IPOB.

In a telephone interview with our correspondent on Sunday, IPOB’s spokesman, Emma Powerful, said, “IPOB did not declare any sit-at-home order on October 21 and 22. The illegal order is from criminal elements and Finland-based infiltrators who are not our members.

“We urged our people to ignore the order and go about their normal business on those days. IPOB does not want to talk about it because we don’t want to create panic over the matter.

“Biafrans must understand that IPOB does not declare unnecessary sit-at-home. We have since suspended it and anybody declaring it is a criminal element that should be ignored.

“We didn’t want to talk about it again in order to avoid giving undue popularity to the inconsequential order from Finland-based infiltrators.”

The Daily Dispatch

Bobrisky’s attempted escape to Benin Republic has taken a dramatic turn. The popular crossdresser was reportedly arrested at the Seme border while trying to sneak out of Nigeria. Photos have surfaced online showing Bobrisky sandwiched between two security agents, looking rather disheveled.

According to social critic Very Dark Man, Bobrisky tried to bypass immigration procedures by having someone else verify and stamp his passport. However, immigration officers caught wind of this plan and took him into custody.

It’s worth noting that efforts to confirm this incident with the Nigerian Immigration Service have been unsuccessful, as spokesperson Kenneth Udo hasn’t responded to calls or texts.

The police said the journalist was arrested for offences related to the recent attack by gunmen at the study centre of the National Open University in Nsu, a community in Ehime Mbano Council Area of Imo State.

The police in Imo State have arrested a journalist in the state, Chinonso Uba, popularly known as Nonso Nkwa, for allegedly engaging in cyberstalking, character defamation and misinformation.

The police spokesperson in the state, Henry Okoye, in a statement on Monday, said Mr Uba was arrested on Sunday evening.

Mr Uba is also the founder of Protect the Weak International Foundation, a human rights group based in Imo State.

Why he was arrested

Mr Okoye, an assistant superintendent of police, said Mr Uba’s arrest followed a petition from a “concerned citizen” regarding viral videos the journalist allegedly uploaded on social media.

The police spokesperson said, according to the petition, Mr Uba, through the clips, allegedly engaged in “cyberstalking, character defamation, spreading misinformation and inflammatory statements.”

He said the alleged offences by the journalist were related to the recent attack by gunmen at the study centre of the National Open University in Nsu, a community in Ehime Mbano Council Area of the state.

Mr Okoye also said Mr Uba was arrested for “inciting civil unrest” through the clips. But did not specifically give details of how the journalist committed the offences.

He said, contrary to speculations, Mr Uba was not abducted by hoodlums.

“The Command clarifies that he was not abducted. Nonso Nkwa is currently detained at State (Police) Headquarters and will be arraigned in court, with appropriate charges once a comprehensive investigation is completed,” he said.

Mr Okoye said the police were committed to upholding the rule of law and maintaining peace and order in the state.

He stressed that the police will not allow any individual involved in the attack on the university to escape prosecution.

Background

Ekwutosblog earlier reported that gunmen, on 30 September, razed the university’s study centre in Nsu, Ehime Mbano Council Area of the state.

Apart from the university complex, the hoodlums also attacked the residence of a Nigerian senator, Frank Ibezim.

Meanwhile, this is not the first time Mr Uba would be arrested by police operatives.

In July 2023, the journalist was arrested by the police after he finished anchoring his morning programme on Ozisa FM, a radio station in Owerri, the state capital.

He was accused of defaming Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State during his radio programme.

Mr Uba was later freed, weeks after a court orderedhis release.