The commercial hub of Onitsha faces a tense showdown today as Governor Chukwuma Soludo and traders of the Onitsha Main Market confront the continuation of the weekly Monday sit-at-home enforced by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPoB). The directive, in protest against the detention of IPoB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has crippled economic activity across Anambra State for over 260 Mondays.
The standoff escalated after Soludo last week ordered the one-week closure of the market, insisting it must reopen today. His decision sparked protests from IPoB sympathizers and traders, some of whom had previously adhered to the sit-at-home, citing solidarity with the separatist group. Security sources confirm that government and law enforcement agencies are determined to ensure the markets operate without intimidation or disruption.
Ahead of today, a joint security meeting finalised deployment plans for personnel and logistics in Onitsha and other major markets. Market leaders have also been engaging suspected agitators, urging restraint. Kezie Nwadiugwu, a prominent trader, appealed to colleagues to open their shops, warning that prolonged closure could give the government cause for drastic measures. “Let us not play into the governor’s hands. If we open and do business, he may shelve the demolition,” Nwadiugwu said.
Governor Soludo defended his actions at a stakeholders’ meeting in Awka, citing decades of poor urban planning and the market’s decline. “The market, in its current state, is no longer functional. Main Market has literally died,” he said, recalling its orderly layout in the late 1970s. He added that the weekly shutdown has cost the state billions of naira and pushed customers to neighbouring states.
Soludo highlighted that global experts were engaged in 2023 to design a sustainable redevelopment plan for the 25-hectare market. “Leadership sometimes requires inconvenient steps to secure the future,” he said. Onitsha Main Market Chairman, Chijioke Okpalaugo, confirmed traders’ commitment to comply, selecting the government’s redevelopment plan while requesting a short grace period to relocate goods from illegal structures.
The confrontation exposes the delicate balance between governance, security, and livelihoods in the South-East. Since August 2021, IPoB-linked actors have enforced the sit-at-home through intimidation, closing markets, schools, and offices. Soludo warned that continued shutdowns could lead to revoked land allocations, sealed shops, and more markets being closed. Attendance registers have also been introduced in markets, while schools are now mandated to operate on Mondays.
IPOB condemned the reopening order, declaring a Biafra-wide sit-at-home today. Emma Powerful, the group’s spokesman, described Soludo’s actions as “tyrannical” and “economic warfare,” insisting that only Kanu’s release would end the shutdown. Meanwhile, Igbo elders are calling for calm and dialogue. As security remains heightened across Anambra, all eyes are on whether the markets will open today or the sit-at-home will prevail.
