Irate Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State bares his fangs on the state’s traders and Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) by shutting markets across the state as a means to deter traders from observing the Monday sit-at-home order of the IPOB
Jude Nzennaya, Port Harcourt
In his quest to end the sit-at-home phenomenon in Anambra State which also affects all the Eastern region and some of the South south States, governor Charles Soludo last week ordered the closure of the Onitsha Main Market, and threatened to shut all markets and schools in the state with which were in the habit of observing the sit-at-home order of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Governor Soludo reiterated that his government was poised to ensuring that Mondays are fully operational business days statewide, with similar warnings issued to other markets, schools, and civil servants.
Soludo ordered the immediate shutdown of the Onitsha Main Market for one week, following defiance of the market leadership to open, despite the government’s directive.
The press secretary to the governor, Mr. Christian Aburime, said that the one-week shutdown of the market was an administrative penalty. According to him, “It is the latest, and perhaps most drastic, salvo in a protracted war over who controls time and economic life in South-East of Nigeria on Mondays. The governor’s move is a direct response to what the government sees as baffling defiance. Despite repeated assurances of enhanced security and appeals to reclaim public spaces, many traders at the iconic market again chose to keep their stalls locked. Their absence was a quiet rebellion, but one that spoke volumes about the lingering climate of apprehension.
“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.
“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. You either decide that you are going to trade here or you go elsewhere. I am very serious about this”.
Aburime also said, “By targeting the economic heart of the region, the government aims to trigger a collective shift in behaviour, betting that the traders’ desire to trade will ultimately outweigh their fear. As the gates remain locked this week, the standoff in Onitsha encapsulates the broader struggle in the Southeast. It is a fight over normalcy, authority, and the fragile psyche of a populace caught between enforced directives and imposed orders, when the gates are scheduled to reopen next Monday, all eyes will be on the traders”, he said.
Following the continued closure of the Onitsha Main Market and its adjoining markets, traders protested the enforcement of Soludo’s directive, ordering markets to operate on Mondays.
Heavy security presence, comprising soldiers, police officers and operatives of Operation Udo-Ga-Achi (Agunechemba), took over all entry and exit points to the Onitsha Main Market as early as 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, effectively preventing traders from accessing their shops.
The closure affected several adjoining markets, including Marine Market, Biafra Market, Kano Street Market, Sokoto Road Market, William Street Market and Bida Road Market, all of which depend on the Main Market for daily commercial activities.
The market shutdown is part of Governor Soludo’s enforcement measures against the continued observance of Monday sit-at-home in the South-East, which the state government has described as economic sabotage.
However, the move triggered anger among traders who attempted to defy the order and force their way into the market but were stopped by armed security personnel and ordered to vacate the area.
The Igbo Community Association in Abuja, has called on Governor Soludo to reopen the Onitsha main market to avoid the escalation of protest by the traders in the market, noting that the people of Onitsha were already taking to the streets in protest and the situation was fast escalating.
The aggrieved traders’ protest which lasted for hours, disrupted vehicular and human movements from Asaba, Delta State, to Anambra State, as travellers stayed in the gridlock that resulted from it for hours.
The gridlock on the ever-busy Niger Bridge also led to some travellers returning to Asaba for fear of possible attack if the protest turns violent.
However, the traders conducted themselves well while chanting “Soludo show us the law”, saying “we must trade on Mondays,” “We have the right to trade any day we like, government didn’t fund us,” “Soludo, you are infringing on our rights. Stop now,” “Why the selective closure of the market in Onitsha?”
The spokesman of the protesting traders, Sunday Okoli, said as far as Nnamdi Kanu was in detention, trading activities on Mondays will be extremely difficult to achieve.
Other markets were also shut by the governor. The affected markets include Ochanja Central Market, Bridgehead Market, Ogbaru Main Market, Building Materials Market Ogidi, Agba-Edo Auto Spare Parts Market Nnewi, New Auto and Motorcycle Spare Parts Market Nnewi, Fairly Used Motorcycle Spare Parts Market Nnewi, New Auto Spare Parts Market Nkpor, Nkpor Main Market, Old Mercedes Benz Spare Parts Dealers Market Nkpor, Old Motor Spare Parts Market Obosi, and Electrical Dealers International Market, Obosi.
The President General and Secretary General of the Igbo Community Association, Ikenna Ellis-Ezenekwe and Mazi Emmanuel Onah, respectively, in a statement, said the association was worried that if the markets were not reopened immediately, the protest may lead to a total breakdown of law and order, which may lead to loss of lives and property in the city.
The statement read, “We are worried that if the markets are not reopened immediately, the protest may lead to a breakdown in security, resulting in injury to innocent citizens and damage to property.
“The association emphasises the importance of respecting democratic principles and the rights of citizens to express themselves freely.
“As a pan-African leader, the governor must understand the need for citizens to make protest statements to power.
“We are calling on Governor Soludo to listen to the voices of his people and work towards a peaceful resolution to the current impasse.
“The voice of the people must be heard and respected. We urge the Governor to reopen markets. The markets are a vital part of the community’s economic and social fabric, and have been shut down, causing hardship to traders and consumers alike. The people want their markets back; they belong to them.
“The people also want to use the markets to make whatever statements they choose, and as a true son of the soil, you must respect this. We want harmonious engagement, not brute force.’’
Last Thursday, January 29, Soludo said he could decide to build schools on the premises of the Onitsha Main Market after revoking the land.
He said this during a meeting with leaders of Anambra State Markets Amalgamated Traders Association (ASMATA).
Soludo said he had the requisite power under the law to revoke all the market premises in the state for overriding public interest and use them for something else of public interest.
He said for instance, he could revoke the premises and either build modern school on them or turn them into Agunechemba security offices all for the overriding public interest.
He added that he could pay compensation to the original owners of the lands where the markets are located, and anyone who feels that the amount paid as compensation is not commensurate with his own estimation, could go to court to contest the amount paid for compensation, but not the revocation.
Addressing the markets leaders at the International Conference Center (ICC), Awka, Soludo therefore directed all the Local Government Mayors to henceforth monitor all the market shops as early as 10 a.m. on every market day, including Mondays.
Soludo had summoned a meeting of all the leaders of Onitsha Main Market for a round table discussion on Friday, January 30, at 11 a.m. at the Light House, New Government House, Awka, to discuss modalities for reopening the market or temporary closure of the market for the modernisation exercise to commence in earnest.
All the market leaders in Anambra State, including the President-General of ASMATA, Chief Humphrey Anuna, Patron of ASMATA and President of Building Materials International Market, Ogidi, Chief Jude Nwankwo, President of Ogbaru Main Market, Chief Ndubuisi Ochiogu, Chairman of Onitsha Main Market, Chief Okpalugo among other market presidents and chairmen were in attendance.
The Governor’s action came as a result of his unscheduled physical visit to the market during which he saw traders at the ever busy market complying with the IPOB order and failed to open for business on Monday January 26, 2026, in defiance of repeated state government directives mandating full resumption of commercial activities on Monday.
These IPOB spokesman, Comrade Emma Powerful, accused the governor of threatening the good people of Anambra while thanking the people of Anambra for their courage on Monday sit at home peacefully observed in solidarity with their leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
He said, “Ndi Anambra have once again shown the world that dignity is more valuable than money, and that sacrifice is sometimes required in the pursuit of justice and freedom. At a time when other ethnic groups in Nigeria openly defend their own and protect their collective interests, Ndị Igbo have continued to demonstrate uncommon courage by demanding the release of Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,
“It is therefore disappointing and unacceptable that Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo-who once visited Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in detention and knows the truth-has chosen to turn around and threaten the same people he swore to protect, merely to impress Abuja interests that have never prioritised the wellbeing of the Igbo race”.
