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Traders at the Onitsha Main Market in Anambra State on Tuesday took to the streets to protest the one-week closure of the market ordered by Governor Chukwuma Soludo.
The protest followed the governor’s directive shutting down the commercial hub after traders allegedly failed to comply with the state government’s order to resume normal business activities.
Videos shared widely on social media platforms, including X and Facebook, captured aggrieved traders marching toward the market with placards, chanting solidarity songs and expressing support for the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
In several of the clips, protesters were heard chanting slogans such as “Soludo, we no go gree o” and “Say no to Monday,” signalling their opposition to the government’s stance against the continued observance of sit-at-home protests across the South-East.
Meanwhile, security operatives were deployed to the Onitsha Main Market early Tuesday to enforce the closure. Major access routes into the market were barricaded, with armoured personnel carriers and Hilux vans stationed at strategic points. Hundreds of security personnel were also seen patrolling the area.
Governor Soludo had ordered the closure on Monday during an on-the-spot inspection of the market, accusing traders and market leaders of refusing to reopen despite repeated appeals by the state government.
The Anambra State Government has repeatedly condemned the Monday sit-at-home, stating that it costs the state an estimated ₦8 billion weekly. According to the government, the South-East region as a whole reportedly loses about ₦19.6 billion every week due to the disruption.
The protest underscores growing tensions between traders and the state government over economic losses, security challenges, and efforts to restore full commercial activities in one of the region’s busiest trade centres.
