Sit-at-home: How Militants Invaded Imo School, Chased WAEC Candidates Away

Enforcers of the sit-at-home order that the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, on Monday stopped students from taking English Language paper in the ongoing WASSCE being written by senior secondary school students at the Comprehensive Secondary School, Nkume in the Njaba Local Government Area of Imo state.

Sources disclosed that the students were preparing to begin the examinations when the attackers came and chased them away.

As the gunmen started shooting, students and teachers, including their supervisors, fled.

The source said, “Gunmen came to the school and chased out the students this morning.

“They started shooting repeatedly and insisted that no examination would be allowed to go on.

“They destroyed some motorcycles and shot continuously until the students and teachers ran away.”

Another eyewitness said the IPOB sit-at-home enforcers came in a convoy of motorcycles and vehicles and started shooting in the air.

He said the enforcers set ablaze about 8 motorcycles belonging to the teachers and chased them away from the school premises.

“In the process, students were afraid and started running and the teachers including the exam monitors started running for their life.

“These boys were well armed with sophisticated guns mounted in the entrance to the school shooting in the air.

“Others entered into the classrooms and first of all asked everybody to lie down and then asked them to pack all their belongings and vacate the school premises,” the eyewitness said.

He continued, “They warned them not to come back to the school to conduct any exams again.

“They said there will be nothing like exams in the school. We are afraid that our children will not sit for the exams.

“The Nkume community is under tension and our people are afraid these boys are not smiling. Even as I am talking to you the schools have been deserted.”

Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Mike Abattam, could not be reached for comments.

Recall, IPOB had declared Monday as sit-at-home to drum support for the release of their leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who is facing some charges before an Abuja High Court.

This week, the sit-at-home is expected to continue on Tuesday as Kanu is expected to make an appearance in court.

Apart from Mondays, the group also declared sit-at-home any day Kanu is to appear in court.