SOLUDO SHUTS ONITSHA MAIN MARKET FOR ONE WEEK OVER MONDAY SIT-AT-HOME NON-COMPLIANCE
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Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, has ordered the immediate closure of the Onitsha Main Market and adjoining markets for one week as part of efforts to enforce compliance with the state’s directive against the controversial Monday sit-at-home order.
The governor issued the directive on Monday while addressing traders at the market, warning that the shutdown could be extended if traders fail to resume business at the end of the one-week period.
“As I’m speaking to you now, when I finish this, this whole Main Market and all the adjoining markets will be locked down for the whole of this week. There will be no market anywhere here,” Soludo declared.
He added that government officials would conduct inspections every Monday and that any shop found closed would face further sanctions. According to the governor, continued defiance could lead to repeated closures or longer shutdowns.
“If you like, I don’t mind shutting down Main Market for the remainder of this year. If you don’t like it, go elsewhere and trade. But if you’re here, we’re not going to allow this. It’s plain economic sabotage,” Soludo said, adding that the government also views persistent closure of shops as having possible criminal intent.
The action follows repeated failure by traders at the Onitsha markets to open for business on Mondays, despite several government warnings to ignore the sit-at-home order imposed by non-state actors.
Soludo said the decision to shut the market was necessary to assert the authority of the state, protect law-abiding citizens and restore normal economic activities.
“I’m just coming from Awka; government offices are open, markets are open, and people are going about their businesses. Then you come to Main Market, once reputed as the largest market in West Africa, and it is shut down,” he said.
He warned that the continued observance of the sit-at-home order would no longer be tolerated, stressing that traders must either comply with government directives or relocate their businesses elsewhere.
“This can no longer go on in Anambra. You either decide that you want to trade here or you go elsewhere. Any shop that is not open will be locked for one week,” the governor stated.
Following the directive, security operatives, including personnel of the police and the army, were deployed to seal the market gates and enforce compliance.
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The Monday sit-at-home order, which has been in place for about four years in parts of the South-East, has disrupted economic and social activities across the region and has been repeatedly condemned by the Soludo administration as an act of economic sabotage.
Governor Soludo has consistently urged residents to go about their lawful activities without fear, insisting that Anambra State is safe. In April 2022, he officially declared the sit-at-home over, announced amnesty for youths in hideouts and established a peace and reconciliation committee.
While the government maintains that the practice has largely faded, some residents and traders have continued to stay indoors on Mondays out of caution.
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