Onitsha Market Reopens as Traders Heed Soludo’s Sit-at-Home Warning

Business activities have resumed at the Onitsha Main Market in Anambra State following a one-week shutdown ordered by the state government.

Traders returned to their shops on Monday after Governor Chukwuma Soludo directed the reopening of the market, backed by heightened security presence and stern warnings against compliance with illegal sit-at-home directives.

The market was earlier closed by the state government after reports indicated that some traders were observing a Monday sit-at-home allegedly linked to the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). Governor Soludo had warned that continued disobedience of the reopening order would attract stiffer sanctions, including prolonged closure of affected markets.

A report by Channels Television confirmed that traders resumed business as early as 8:45 a.m., with commercial activities picking up across major sections of the market, including Egerton, Ose Foodstuff Market and Young Park. Shops were also open around Emeka Offor Plaza, Sokoto Road, Lagos Line and Marine axis, as customers gradually returned.

The report noted that the reopening reflected growing compliance with the state government’s directive to disregard sit-at-home calls.

Meanwhile, IPOB had earlier announced a purported region-wide lockdown across the South-East, claiming it was in solidarity with Onitsha traders. The group, through its spokesman, Emma Powerful, urged traders, transporters, banks, schools and civil servants to observe the action peacefully.

However, IPOB’s legal counsel, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, distanced the group from the alleged directive, describing it as “fake” and a “calculated falsehood.” He urged the public to ignore the claim, stressing that IPOB had repeatedly disassociated itself from sit-at-home orders.