Enugu State Government Cracks Down on Sit-at-Home Observers, Seals 106 Shops and Two Banks

Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, has taken a decisive step in response to the sit-at-home order issued by a factional leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Simon Ekpa.

The government has sealed a total of 106 shops and two banks in the state, allegedly for observing the order. The closure is set to last for a week, and afterward, the administration will consider either reopening the businesses under specific conditions or selling them off. The exercise, led by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, aims to discourage the sit-at-home practice and foster a spirit of normalcy among traders.

The SSG said, “In previous announcements to the good people and residents of Enugu State, the government had directed business and shop owners to open for normal businesses on Monday and every workday or have the defaulting business premises and shops sealed.

“That was exactly what the government did on Monday, July 24, 2023, to enforce its earlier directives.

“All businesses that were sealed shall remain sealed for one week, at the end of which they shall provide their current tax clearance certificates and all other relevant revenue documents to enable the state government to review and consider their formal letters for re-opening.

“Again, all considerations start from Friday, July 28, 2023, at 2pm at the Enugu State Capital Development Authority headquarters.”

Onyia said the sealing of the businesses was not punitive but ownership culture, “where all of us come together to fight the menace of the illegal sit-at-home in the state.

“We are taking it up not because Mbah is in the business of stopping economic growth but to fight those that think they can intimidate us.”

He continued by saying a task force created by the state government would be in the markets next Monday to continue to monitor the situation.

“We saw shops that were not open, and we sealed them.

“That is why ECTDA is here, and the owners should go through a process to get them reopened,” he said.

The Enugu State governor had on June 5 banned Monday sit-at-home in the state, because it was hurting the economy.