Traders at the Onitsha Main Market in Anambra State took to the streets on Tuesday to protest a government order shutting the market for one week.
The closure was ordered by the state governor, Chukwuma Soludo on Monday, after traders repeatedly failed to comply with a directive to resume business activities on Mondays, despite a long-standing sit-at-home practice in Nigeria’s South-East.
The weekly sit-at-home, originally linked to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has for several years led many shops and businesses across the region to remain closed every Monday.
On Tuesday, traders marched through major streets in Onitsha, chanting slogans such as “Say no to Monday” and “Soludo, we no go gree o”, meaning “Soludo, we will not agree.” They also carried placards demanding that the governor justify the market closure. Some protesters were seen in online videos expressing support for IPOB’s detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
The Anambra State government says the continued sit-at-home observance has caused significant economic losses, with officials estimating that billions of naira are lost weekly in Onitsha, one of West Africa’s largest commercial centres.
In response, Governor Soludo ordered the temporary shutdown of the market as part of efforts to enforce regular trading and revive economic activity, warning that stricter measures could follow if traders continue to defy government directives.
Security forces were deployed to enforce the closure, with police officers and armoured vehicles blocking major entrances to the market. Traders who attempted to open their shops were turned back, prompting many to join the protest.
