Traders Protest Onitsha Main-Market Closure

By Oluwakemi Kindness

Traders at Onitsha Main Market in Anambra State on Tuesday staged a protest following a one-week closure ordered by Governor Chukwuma Soludo.

Videos circulating on social media platforms, including X and Facebook, showed traders flooding the market with placards, chanting solidarity songs, and expressing support for the detained Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu. Some of the chants included: “Soludo, we no go gree o” and “Say no to Monday.”

Security personnel had barricaded the market, with hundreds deployed and several vehicles, including Armoured Personnel Carriers and Hilux vans, positioned at strategic points to enforce the closure.

The government imposed the shutdown after traders and market leadership repeatedly ignored calls to resume normal business operations.

The Anambra State government highlighted the economic impact of the recurring Monday sit-at-home, estimating it costs the state approximately ₦8 billion weekly, contributing to a South-East regional loss of ₦19.6 billion. IPOB, however, condemned the market shutdown, calling it punitive and intimidating.

The weekly Monday sit-at-home in the South-East was first introduced in August 2021, following the arrest and extradition of IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu from Kenya to Nigeria.

IPOB declared every Monday as a day of protest, aiming to pressure the government for Kanu’s release and highlight perceived marginalization of the Igbo people.

Initially, compliance was high, with many residents staying home voluntarily. Over time, the sit-at-home has continued to affect economic activities across the region, including market operations, even as IPOB has occasionally announced suspensions of the directive.