Tension gripped the Onitsha Main Market in Anambra State on Tuesday morning as heavily armed security operatives moved in to enforce Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s one-week closure of the market.
Hundreds of personnel drawn from the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Department of State Services (DSS) were deployed to the commercial hub. They barricaded major entrances and prevented traders from accessing their shops.
Video footage showed security operatives stationed at strategic locations around the market, turning back traders who attempted to gain entry.
Some traders openly criticised the governor’s action, accusing the state government of punishing business owners who had travelled outside the state and abroad to restock their shops. Others questioned the effectiveness of the shutdown, arguing that the Monday sit-at-home practice was beyond the control of the state government and had become a routine day of rest for many traders.
A trader also alleged that political considerations influenced the enforcement, linking it to broader disagreements over the continued detention of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
Governor Soludo had on Monday ordered the immediate closure of the market for one week following an unscheduled visit during which he observed that most traders failed to open for business on Monday, January 26, despite repeated directives by the government.
The Anambra State Government has officially abolished the sit-at-home practice, which was initially associated with separatist agitations and calls for Kanu’s release, as part of efforts to restore normal economic activities.
During the visit, the governor reportedly described the continued closure of markets on Mondays as a deliberate sabotage of the state’s economy and warned that any market or business outlet that failed to open would be sealed for one week, with repeat offenders facing stiffer sanctions.
A senior government official said the closure of the Onitsha Main Market was intended to enforce compliance and revive economic activity, stressing that the state could not afford to lose billions of naira every Monday.
The government has also warned civil servants, schools and other institutions that failure to comply with Monday resumption directives could attract sanctions, including salary deductions and administrative penalties.
However, some traders expressed concern that the shutdown would worsen their economic hardship, noting that a week-long closure would mean loss of income and difficulty meeting basic needs.
As security operatives maintain a tight presence around the market, uncertainty persists over the impact of the shutdown, while debates over the sit-at-home order, insecurity and political grievances in the South-East continue.
