The usual glitz and glamour associated with Nigeria’s Independence Day celebrations completely deserted the entire South eastern part of Nigeria on Friday following sit-at-home order by the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB).
In Imo state, the situation was not different.
A glimpse of what to expect in a state that has been plagued with enormous crisis in recent times witnessed the sporadic shootings along Control Post in Owerri.
The Palace of Eze Obi Ralph Ekezie of Obor in Orlu local government area of the state was also burnt, Blueprint reports.
Early Friday morning, a vehicle carrying passengers around Mbaise area was burnt.
As a result, streets, roads, supermarkets, shops and banks in the state capital, Owerri and other towns were deserted and shut, leaving the youth who should have gone to the Heroes’ Square for the celebration to display their football skills on the main bowls of some spacious roads.
At the Heroes’ Square, the spectators’ stands were empty except the stands that carried the dignitaries and the invited guests, while primary and secondary school students and voluntary organisations who had brought glamour to the event in the past, were conspicuosly absent, thus leaving only the Army, Police, Navy, Airforce, and Civil Defence personnel to march past.
