By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The green white green symbol of Nigeria has disappeared in banks, schools and government-owned establishments in Anambra State following the order by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) for the Nigerian flag to be brought down by establishments in the South-East on October 1, 2021.

As at Thursday, September 30, Nigerian flag adorning bank entrances in the state had been removed.

IPOB had in a press statement said that it would visit banks in the South-East to officially talk to them about taking off the flags, warning that anyone that flouted the order would be severely dealt with.

Consequently, a banker who spoke with News Express on the condition of anonymity said that she and her colleagues are now living in fear.

She said: “Some people came to my branch earlier this week and asked us to remove the Nigerian flag and the picture of President Muhammadu Buhari in our office.

“They warned that failure to adhere to the instruction will lead to something disastrous. Immediately they left, the branch manager gave instruction for the flag to be brought down as well as the picture.”

When our Correspondent visited some banks within Awka, Anambra State capital, as well as the post office located along Zik’s Avenue, the green white green flag was nowhere to be seen.

At the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) office located within Udoka Housing Estate, the Nigerian flag was taken off days before the October 1 deadline.

Meanwhile, politicians in the state have gone underground following heightened insecurity in the state, especially the killing of late Prof. Dora Akunyili’s husband, Dr Chike Akunyili, at Nkpor, alongside his driver and Police Orderly, on Tuesday.

It was learnt that Akunyili who was on transit after attending a function in Onitsha, caught the attention of the unidentified gunmen because of his security detail.

According to an eye witness who spoke to News Express, the gunmen while trying to maneuver traffic spotted Akunyili’s car with a security officer.

“They shouted, ‘it’s a politician! It’s a politician!’, directed him out of his car and shot him,” the source said.

To this end, politicians have devised a way to move about without police escort to avoid attracting attention.

Also, branded vehicles of different political parties have suddenly disappeared from the roads following threats to some drivers.

A driver of one of the political who spoke on condition of anonymity said that he received a message threatening him to desist from driving the party vehicle.

He said: “I was told to stop driving about town with a political party branded vehicle if I want to be alive and train my children. They said that they know my movement and where I live. I have since torn off the brand from the vehicle. I don’t want to toy with my life. I am really scared.”

One of the candidates who spoke in confidence said: “Some of us were billed for manifesto debate with a professional body in the state today but we were stopped from attending by a security report.

“We were warned by a top security outfit in the state that our security could not be guaranteed because of the prevailing circumstances in the state.

“My brother, life, they say, has no duplicate. I have suspended every outdoor campaigns for now and I’m sure most of my colleagues had done same.”

Another candidate, who begged not be named, said: “I now move around without security personnel. If you read the story of Akunyili’s attack, you would see that his killers were angered on sighting the police orderly in his car. So, that should serve as a lesson to some of us.”

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