BY GODWIN OBI
In a decisive move to enforce compliance with the Anambra State Government’s directive against the controversial Monday sit-at-home, Governor Chukwuma Soludo has ordered the immediate closure of the Onitsha Main Market and adjoining markets for one week, effective immediately.
The governor said the shutdown was necessary to send a strong signal, protect law-abiding citizens, and reassert the authority of the state in the face of continued defiance by some traders.
Governor Soludo announced the decision on Monday while addressing traders at the bustling market. He warned that failure to fully reopen at the end of the one-week shutdown would attract stiffer sanctions, including extended closures.
“As I’m speaking to you now, once I finish here, this entire Main Market and all adjoining markets will be locked down for the whole of this week,” Soludo declared. “There will be no market anywhere here. Each Monday, we will come and inspect. If people are not in their respective shops, the market will be shut again.”
The governor went further to state that the government would not hesitate to extend the closure indefinitely if defiance persists.
“If you like it, I don’t mind shutting down Main Market for the rest of this year. If you don’t like it, go elsewhere and trade. But if you are here, we will not allow this. It is plain economic sabotage, and we suspect anyone who closes their shop to have criminal intent,” he said.
Soludo explained that the action followed repeated refusal by traders to open for business on Mondays despite official directives abolishing the sit-at-home order imposed by non-state actors.
According to him, the government cannot continue to tolerate actions that undermine public safety and economic recovery.
“I just came from Oka; everywhere is open—government offices, markets, businesses. Then you come to Main Market, once reputed as the largest market in West Africa, and it is shut down,” he lamented.
He rejected arguments that the prolonged observance of sit-at-home had become normal, warning that the practice must end.
“This can no longer continue in Anambra. You either decide to trade here or go elsewhere. If you don’t want this market open, I will come with a bulldozer and level it. I am very serious,” Soludo said.
He added that going forward, any shop found closed on Mondays would be sealed for one week, reinforcing zero tolerance for non-compliance.
Following the governor’s directive, security personnel, including police and military officers, were deployed to seal the market gates and enforce the shutdown.
Sit-At-Home Order
The Monday sit-at-home, which has been observed in parts of the South-East for about four years, has significantly disrupted economic and social activities, especially in commercial hubs such as Onitsha.
The Soludo administration has consistently condemned the practice, describing it as economic sabotage that has crippled businesses, disrupted education, and forced residents indoors.
In April 2022, Governor Soludo formally declared the sit-at-home over, announced amnesty for youths in hiding, and inaugurated a peace and reconciliation committee. While the government maintains that the practice has largely faded, some residents and traders still stay away from business activities on Mondays out of fear.
The latest shutdown signals the administration’s renewed determination to end the practice completely and restore full economic activity across Anambra State.
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2026-01-27
