Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, has slammed a one-week shutdown on the Onitsha Main Market after traders once again defied the state’s directive to open for business on Mondays.
The decisive order was issued on Monday when the governor stormed the market with top government officials, only to meet locked stalls and deserted trading lines. Security agencies immediately sealed the market to enforce the closure.
Angered by what he described as deliberate economic sabotage, Soludo warned that the government would no longer tolerate actions that cripple the state’s commercial heartbeat.
“The government cannot stand by while a few individuals willfully undermine public safety and disregard official directives meant to restore normalcy. This is plain economic sabotage.
“We are not going to allow this. The closure is a protective measure for law-abiding citizens.”
The governor stressed that the shutdown could be extended to one month if traders fail to comply after the one-week sanction, making it clear that the state is done negotiating with fear-driven defiance.
“You either decide that you are going to trade here or you go elsewhere. I am very serious about this,” Soludo warned.
The scene at the market was tense, as a joint task force of police, soldiers and other security operatives took over the area, sealing entrances and ensuring full compliance with the directive.
Despite repeated assurances of security and appeals by the government to reclaim public spaces, Soludo lamented that many traders still chose to stay away, a move he said reflects the lingering grip of fear over economic life in the South-East.
As the market remains shut this week, all eyes are now on next Monday. Whether traders return en masse or stay away could shape not just the fate of the Onitsha Main Market, but the broader battle to end Monday sit-at-home disruptions in Anambra State.
The closure comes amid tougher measures by the state government to restore normalcy, including the recent announcement that civil servants’ salaries will be paid on a pro-rata basis from February 2026, tied strictly to Monday attendance.
