Traders at Onitsha Main Market staged a protest on Tuesday morning in response to a one-week market closure ordered by Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo in response to traders’ repeated failure to open the market on Mondays despite multiple government warnings.
The protest erupted hours after security agencies, including police and military personnel, barricaded the bustling market. Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) and Hilux vans blocked major entry and exit points to enforce compliance and prevent any breakdown of law and order.
Videos obtained on Tuesday showed groups of traders, including women, men, and youth, loitering with placards, chanting slogans, and expressing anger over what they described as “unfair punishment.”
The protest is the latest development in a dispute that began after market leaders and traders repeatedly refused to resume normal business operations despite government appeals.
Soludo, during an unscheduled inspection of the market on Monday, ordered its immediate closure after market leaders and traders failed to show up for business, ignoring appeals to end the Monday sit-at-home called by the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The state had insisted that the market should open, but traders continued to observe the sit-at-home directive, prompting the governor to take decisive action.
The government noted that the ongoing shutdown costs Anambra State about N8 billion weekly and contributes to a wider regional loss estimated at N19.6 billion across the South-East.
Soludo emphasized that the state would not tolerate continued disruptions to trade and would take all necessary steps to protect the economy and citizens’ welfare. He warned traders and market leaders against further defiance and urged them to comply with the closure order to avoid escalating tensions.
According to the governor, the state government will continue to monitor the situation and take appropriate enforcement action where necessary, reaffirming its commitment to restoring normal business operations while upholding security and the rule of law.
Meanwhile, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), associated with the sit-at-home directive, condemned the market closure, describing it as punitive and intimidating. In a statement, the group insisted that the enforcement measures were designed to suppress the movement and rights of people in the region.
