Media report on a minute and temporary public panic in Ebonyi State, Egede Lawrence writes.
Ebonyi State is noted as the most peaceful place in Nigeria, especially this time around.
Gone were the days when Ebonyi State was faced with Inter-Communal wars, which the government eventually brought to a halt for peace to reign in the State, especially by Governor David Umahi's regime.
The bravery level with which Governor Umahi's regime was able to tackle controversies in the State has always been well admired, both in the human and spiritual environments.
Something happened today, for the first time since the beginning of the present regime in Ebonyi State.
But God is in perfect control, while the State government has been on alert, and very swift to act wisely against the palaver.
It first appeared in extension as if nothing serious was happening, but turned to be as if hell was let loose in town and beyond the metropolitan axis.
Rumours quickly spread out that it was the Sit-At-Home usual mantra disease of the Southeast of Nigeria.
The Sit-At-Home issue has been a well-known case of life-hunting perils, which has generated fears, of a breach of public peace in the Southeast Zone of Nigeria.
It was oftentimes against public safety and the general security systems in some volatile parts of the Southeast zone but never observed in like manner within Ebonyi State.
The harassment counted heavily on the rate of damages encountered by the public, and the governments within the Southeast Zone of Nigeria except for Ebonyi State.
Gun-toting was reported in Abakaliki town, followed by the usual public apprehension and panic on the 12th day of December 2022.
It temporarily affected the movement of people, business trips and social activities in the State, but was not difficult to trace where the trouble began.
It was reported that some gun-toting Hoodlums invaded a shop somewhere in the Ahiaofuu area, near Democracy Estate on the outskirts of the Metropolitan City of Abakaliki in Ebonyi State.
The mistaken sense in it and the wrong public impression was a matter of coincidence, with the news of today's effect of the Sit-At-Home quack order, and the criminal attack at the marketplace.
I thank God that the present government of Ebonyi State quickly disabused the minds of the public, with counter actions to allay people's fears about it.
The government and the Security Agencies expressly brought the ugly situation back to normalcy, and the public was pacified.
I believe that there's nobody who does not want peace and harmony to prevail in a sensible society, even criminals cannot relax without peace reigning.
Nigeria has been passing through a very horrible time of different embarrassments and bloody experiences, which have badly affected people and the nation's territorial integrity.
There were assorted political, social, economic and militant assaults, or injuries nationally inflicted on Nigeria, by deadly criminals and the enemies of the nation's peace and security for quite a long time now.
Nigeria doesn't need more of such things to happen again and again, and that's the reason successive regimes have been concerned about the security of the entire nation and people.
The existing governments, both at the national and State levels are still on the job.
They have jointly pursued adequate peace and tranquillity so that nobody will lag without having the needed rest from the hostile wars, that the enemies have been waging against the safety of lives, decency and orderliness in the nation.
Whatever the result, at last, Ebonyi State in particular has achieved a high level of peace, which nobody can derail.
To God is the glory forever.
Egede Lawrence is our Guest Writer and Phoenix Public Analyst.
