Soludo Shuts Onitsha Main Market For 1 Week After Traders Ignore Sit-At-Home Ban

Awka, Anambra State – Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, has directed the immediate shutdown of the bustling Onitsha Main Market for one week, citing traders’ persistent refusal to operate on Mondays despite the state government’s order scrapping the sit-at-home tradition.

The announcement came via a statement from the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Christian Aburime, on Monday, highlighting what authorities termed as blatant defiance by market leaders and vendors at one of West Africa’s biggest commercial hubs. The move forms part of Soludo’s aggressive push to revive full economic activities in the Southeast, where the Monday sit-at-home—initially tied to separatist demands and insecurity—has lingered despite official abolition.

Aburime described the closure as far beyond a simple fine, but a strategic step in the administration’s quest to make Mondays regular business days and boost the state’s economy. Governor Soludo, during a surprise visit to the market, expressed frustration over locked shops and empty stalls, labeling the non-compliance as “economic sabotage” that hampers progress.

“The government cannot stand by while a few individuals willfully undermine public safety and disregard official directives meant to restore normalcy. This is plain economic sabotage. We are not going to allow this,” Soludo stated firmly. He further cautioned that failure to resume operations post the one-week period would trigger a month-long seal-off, with escalations if needed.

“If the market does not reopen for business after this one-week shutdown, it will be sealed for a month. And so on and so forth,” the governor added, issuing a clear choice to traders: “You either decide that you are going to trade here or you go elsewhere. I am very serious about this.”

A combined security team, including police, army, and other agencies, was swiftly deployed to enforce the order, barricading entrances and dispersing any traders attempting entry. Sources indicate the market, vital for trade across the region, remained deserted amid fears of reprisals.

The sit-at-home, rooted in calls by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) for the release of their leader Nnamdi Kanu, has inflicted massive economic blows on the Southeast. Reports reveal micro-businesses in states like Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo, and Abia suffered average losses of ₦4.618 trillion in one year due to the practice, with another estimate pegging ₦5.375 trillion lost over 71 Mondays between August 2021 and December 2022. A broader analysis puts productivity and investment shortfalls at ₦7.6 trillion since the trend began. Anambra’s 2024 Internally Generated Revenue stood at ₦42.69 billion, ranking 17th nationwide, underscoring the need to curb such disruptions.

In response, IPOB has hit back at Soludo, defending the sit-at-home as a legitimate civil protest and urging residents to ignore the governor’s threats. In a statement by spokesperson Emma Powerful, the group warned the governor against intimidating traders and instead advocated for Kanu’s release to resolve underlying issues. “Sit-at-home is legal and a civil protest; you must respect people’s will,” IPOB asserted, criticizing alleged market threats as misguided.

The Soludo administration maintains that security has improved markedly, viewing the ongoing observance as a “psychological barrier” that must be dismantled through firm enforcement. As part of wider measures, the state has implemented pro-rata salary deductions for workers absent on Mondays to encourage compliance.

Traders and stakeholders now await the end of the shutdown, with many expressing concerns over lost income but hoping for a lasting resolution to the sit-at-home saga that has plagued the region for years.