ONITSHA – Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, has ordered the immediate closure of the Onitsha Main Market for one week following the continued adherence of traders to the Monday sit-at-home directive.
The governor announced the shutdown on Monday during an unscheduled inspection of the market, where he observed that a significant number of shops remained locked despite government directives for businesses to operate normally.
Strict Warning Against Further Non-Compliance
Governor Soludo warned that the closure could be extended to one month if the market fails to fully reopen by next Monday.
“We are going to cordon this whole place off for the first one week. If we come on Monday and it’s locked, we are going to lock the market for one month,” Soludo stated. He emphasized that traders who wish to operate in Anambra must abide by state regulations, reiterating that markets are expected to be open from Monday to Friday.
Part of Broader Enforcement Measures
This move follows the state government’s recent announcement that civil servants who fail to report to work on Mondays will face salary deductions, as part of a broader effort to end the sit-at-home practice across the state. Authorities argue that the current security situation no longer justifies the weekly shutdown of economic activities.
The sit-at-home protest began in 2021 across Nigeria’s South-East, initiated by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to demand the release of its detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu. Kanu was recently sentenced to life imprisonment by a Federal High Court in Abuja on November 20, 2025.
Governor Soludo’s enforcement action underscores the state’s push to restore full economic activity and normalize public life after years of disrupted Mondays.
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