Nigerian Army Viral ‘Sit-at-Home’ Order in South-East

• The Nigerian Army has dismissed a viral message announcing a supposed “sit-at-home” order in the South-East, describing it as fake and meant to create fear and disrupt daily life.

The Nigerian Army has dismissed a viral message circulating on social media announcing a “sit-at-home” order in the South-East, describing it as fake and the handiwork of criminal elements.

In a statement on Thursday, the Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations, 82 Division, Lt. Col. Olabisi Ayeni, said the threat was deliberately crafted to instill fear across the region.

“The threat message is designed to create fear in the public domain, disrupt sources of livelihood, and destabilise the South East region,” Ayeni said.

He explained that the Army, in collaboration with other security agencies, had already deployed a robust security architecture to ensure the safety of residents, stressing that no illegal directive would be allowed to restrict the movement or freedom of law-abiding citizens.

Ayeni assured residents that the threats were baseless and urged them to go about their lawful activities without fear.

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“Freedom of movement is protected, and residents are free to conduct their lawful activities without hindrance,” he said, adding that economic activities are expected to continue normally.

He warned that anyone attempting to enforce the fake order or take the law into their own hands would face consequences.
“Criminal elements are warned… anyone attempting to enforce any unfounded illegal order will be decisively dealt with according to the law,” Ayeni cautioned.

The Army encouraged the public to ignore panic-inducing messages from groups “whose only aim is to create fear and hinder progress,” and called for higher vigilance.
“If you see something, please say something,” Ayeni added.