Anambra State’s commercial nerve center, Onitsha, remained tense yesterday as security forces maintained a blockade of the Main Market and surrounding trading centers, enforcing Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s controversial directive mandating Monday operations.
Beginning at 6:30 a.m., a combined team of soldiers, police officers, and Operation Udo-Ga-Achi (Agunechemba) operatives sealed all access routes to Onitsha Main Market, turning away traders attempting to reach their businesses.
The enforcement extended to interconnected markets—Marine, Biafra, Kano Street, Sokoto Road, William Street, and Bida Road—all economically dependent on the Main Market’s daily activities.
Governor Soludo’s administration has framed the market shutdown as a necessary step against the continued Monday sit-at-home observance across the South-East region, labeling the practice economic sabotage.
The decision sparked resistance from traders who attempted to breach the security cordon but were rebuffed by armed personnel. Journalists at the scene observed groups of merchants singing protest chants and appealing for the governor’s intervention, while others lingered nearby anticipating a policy reversal. As hours passed without change, most eventually dispersed homeward.
Several traders criticized what they characterized as heavy-handed governance, noting that the robust security presence now enforcing closure had been conspicuously absent during previous attacks by criminal elements enforcing sit-at-home compliance.
Trader Tobechukwu Ezeh condemned the action as “executive rascality and recklessness,” citing incidents in 2024 and 2025 where traders and market officials faced kidnapping and violence when attempting Monday operations without government protection.
He highlighted the unresolved abduction of a market leader from Old Motor Spare Parts Market, Obosi (Ngbuka Obosi Market), alleging insufficient state intervention.
“The security personnel deployed today were nowhere to be found when traders faced attacks. If this level of protection had existed on Mondays previously, we wouldn’t be in this situation,” Ezeh stated.
Eugen, a 70-year-old trader, attributed the erosion of traders’ influence to successive state governments, accusing them of imposing leadership structures that undermined collective bargaining power.
He argued that trader autonomy deteriorated following the administration of former Governor Chinweoke Mbadinuju, with governmental interference and internal fragmentation leaving associations vulnerable to policy imposition.
The Igbo Community Association, Abuja, has urged Governor Soludo to immediately reopen Onitsha Main Market, warning that escalating protests could trigger broader unrest and potential violence.
In a joint statement, President General Engr. Ikenna Ellis-Ezenekwe and Secretary General Mazi Emmanuel Onah expressed alarm that trader demonstrations were expanding and risked descending into chaos if markets remained closed.
The organization cautioned that prolonged closure could result in casualties and property damage, emphasizing the importance of upholding democratic values and citizens’ rights to peaceful assembly.
“We appeal to the governor to hear the people’s concerns and pursue peaceful resolution. These markets form the backbone of the community’s economic and social infrastructure, and their closure inflicts hardship on both traders and consumers,” the statement read.
While advocating for immediate market reopening, the association acknowledged Governor Soludo’s infrastructure achievements and policy initiatives statewide.
“We recognize the governor’s dedication to economic advancement and his governance accomplishments. However, citizens’ voices deserve acknowledgment and respect. We seek dialogue and constructive engagement, not forceful measures,” the group stated.
At publication time, heavy security remained deployed around Onitsha’s market areas, with traders largely staying away amid concerns about potential clashes, as pressure mounted for dialogue and de-escalation.
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