By John Ikani
Students of Comprehensive Secondary School Nkume Njaba in Njaba Local Government Area of Imo State, were on Monday chased out of examination hall by suspected enforcers of the sit-at-home order that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) said it had suspended.
Heritage Times gathered that the enforcers who were heavily armed, stormed the school and started shooting sporadically, at a time the students were about to write the West African Examination Council (WAEC) English Language Examination.
It was also gathered that the students and teachers fled the premises leaving their belongings, including bags, books, examination papers, bicycles and motorcycles which were set ablaze by the gunmen.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in Imo, CSP Mike Abattam confirmed seeing a viral video that captured the thugs chasing out students and invigilators from the exam hall.
He however noted that the police were still checking the video clips to ascertain the truth before issuing any statement.
“Yes we have seen the video, we are still verifying its authenticity because anything can happen on social media,” he said.
IPOB, a separatist organization in Nigeria aim to restore an independent state of Biafra in the Old Eastern Region of Nigeria, comprising mainly of today’s South-East and South-South regions of Nigeria; and also parts of the Middle Belt states of Nigeria such as Benue State and Kogi State, through an independence referendum.
The group which initially issued sit-at-home orders to remember comrades who lost their lives during the Biafra war, said it will enforce a lockdown every Monday in the South-East until its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, is released.
However, the group backpedalled, noting that he sit-at-home will hold whenever Kanu appears in court.
Kanu is currently in detention for offences bordering on treasonable felony.