Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, has ordered the closure of the Onitsha Main Market for one week after traders again failed to open for business on Monday, in defiance of the state government’s directive to disregard the sit-at-home order.
The governor issued the directive during a visit to the market on Monday, accompanied by top government officials and security personnel, after observing that many shops remained shut despite assurances of adequate security.
Soludo described the continued closure of the market as a serious threat to economic survival in the state, warning that the one-week shutdown could be extended to one month if traders fail to resume operations when the market is reopened.
He said security agencies had been instructed to seal the market throughout the period to enforce compliance.
“The government will not fold its arms while economic activities are deliberately crippled. What is happening here amounts to economic sabotage,” the governor said.
According to him, the administration has invested heavily in security and public reassurance to encourage residents to reclaim their businesses and public spaces, but those efforts were once again ignored by traders at the state’s largest commercial centre.
Soludo noted that although the sit-at-home order has been officially disowned by separatist groups, fear and intimidation continue to shape behaviour, resulting in repeated disruption of commercial activities.
“This silence and absence may appear peaceful, but it is destructive. It speaks of fear, and fear cannot be allowed to rule our economy,” he said.
Issuing a firm warning, the governor added that traders must decide whether they are willing to operate within the law or vacate the market altogether.
“If after one week this market does not reopen, we will have no choice but to shut it for one month. We are very serious about restoring normalcy,” he said.
Following the directive, a joint security task force comprising the police, the army and other agencies was deployed to seal off the market and maintain order around the premises.
The development is seen as one of the most decisive actions taken so far by the Soludo administration in its bid to end the recurring Monday sit-at-home, which has continued to undermine economic activity across Anambra and other parts of the South-East.
Analysts say the closure places traders at a crossroads: either return to business under government protection or risk prolonged disruption of their livelihoods through extended sanctions.
In addition to the market closure, the state government has adopted other measures to discourage compliance with sit-at-home directives.
The Commissioner for Information, Law Mefor, recently disclosed that from February 2026, civil servants in Anambra State would be paid on a pro-rata basis, with salaries tied to attendance on Mondays.
Mefor said the decision was taken at the end-of-tenure retreat of the Anambra State Executive Council in Awka, where the outgoing administration reviewed its four-year performance and mapped out priorities for the new term beginning on March 17, 2026.
As the week-long shutdown takes effect, attention is expected to shift to next Monday, when the market is scheduled to reopen. Observers say the response of traders will not only determine the fate of the Onitsha Main Market but could also shape the broader battle over restoring full economic life in Anambra State.
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