Tension is rising sharply in Anambra State as the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Governor Chukwuma Soludo square off over the shutdown of the Onitsha Main Market, one of the largest commercial hubs in the South-East.
IPOB has ordered traders to reopen their shops on Tuesday, directly challenging Governor Soludo’s one-week closure of the market over traders’ refusal to observe the government-backed suspension of the Monday sit-at-home order.
The governor issued the shutdown directive on Monday during an on-the-spot visit to the market, accompanied by top government officials.
He warned that the closure could be extended if traders continued to defy government orders, stressing that security agencies had already sealed the market to enforce compliance.
Soludo described the situation as the latest, and possibly the most drastic phase in a long-running struggle over control of economic activities in the South-East.
In a late-night statement signed by its spokesman, Emma Powerful, the group dismissed the governor’s action and insisted that traders must return to business immediately, arguing that no government entity established or funded their businesses.
The statement read in part, “The IPOB hereby declares that tomorrow, January 27, 2026, our people in Anambra State shall resume their legitimate business activities and open their shops and markets.
“This action is not in defiance of any gubernatorial order but in the exercise of their God-given right to pursue their daily livelihoods according to their preferences and necessities.”
Powerful said traders survived without government support during the COVID-19 lockdowns and could not now be forced into submission, warning that intimidation would only deepen resistance.
The statement added, “Our people endured a three-year food blockade during the Nigeria-Biafra War and emerged as the most entrepreneurial ethnic group in Africa, as well as the most successful immigrant community in the United States.
“Our fathers liberated Nigeria from colonial rule, our ancestors liberated Haiti from colonial oppression, and in the creeks of Savannah, Georgia, we Igbos chose death over enslavement—a legacy chronicled in Alex Haley’s ‘Roots,’ where our ancestors from Onitsha drowned themselves rather than submit to man-made slavery and bondage.
“We have always chosen death over dishonour. Governor Soludo, you cannot defeat our collective spirit of resistance; history teaches us that.
“Before embarking on any perilous path tomorrow, such as deploying soldiers from the Onitsha barracks to infringe upon our rights to conduct business as we deem fit, Governor Soludo must carefully weigh the consequences. Any arrests, harassment, or bloodshed will signal the beginning of the end for those who oppose the will of the people.”
IPOB warned that any arrest or harassment of traders would be resisted, insisting that while it was not seeking a confrontation with the Anambra State Government, the wishes of the people must be respected.
“When the great people of Anambra, the first sons of Igboland and the origin of the Igbo race, demand action toward the unconditional release of our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, it is the divine speaking through them.
“Tomorrow, our markets shall open, and no force on earth can prevent it. We warn that any attempt to obstruct this will invite grave danger upon the enemies of Biafra’s emancipation.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria must heed this call and release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu without further delay to restore peace and normalcy in the South-East,” the statement concluded.
It would be recalled that Soludo had ordered the market shut for one week after traders again locked their shops on Monday, despite assurances of improved security.
The governor said the development exposed lingering fear in the region and warned that economic paralysis would no longer be tolerated.
