Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Charles Soludo, has ordered a one week shutdown of the Onitsha Main Market, escalating the state’s confrontation with the long standing Monday sit-at-home observed across parts of the Southeast.
The closure follows what the government described as continued defiance by traders, who again failed to open their shops on Monday despite repeated assurances of improved security and official appeals to resume normal business activities.
The Monday sit at home, widely enforced through fear by non-state actors, has for years disrupted economic activity across the region, forcing businesses to shut weekly and reshaping public life. The Soludo administration views the continued closure of the market as an open challenge to state authority and a threat to economic stability.
Reacting to the development, Governor Soludo said the government would no longer tolerate actions that undermine public safety and economic recovery.
“The government cannot stand by while a few individuals willfully undermine public safety and disregard official directives meant to restore normalcy, this is plain economic sabotage. We are not going to allow this,” he said.
The governor described the shutdown as a protective measure for law abiding citizens but warned that stricter sanctions would follow if traders fail to return after the one week closure.
“If the market does not reopen after this one week shutdown, it will be sealed for a month. And so on and so forth,” Soludo warned.
He further issued a direct ultimatum to traders operating in the commercial hub.
“You either decide that you are going to trade here or you go elsewhere. I am very serious about this,” the governor insisted.
On Monday, security presence around the market was visibly heightened as a joint task force comprising police, army, and other security agencies secured the area and turned away traders attempting to gain access.
Officials say the government’s strategy is aimed at breaking what it describes as a psychological barrier driven by fear, by making compliance with the illegal sit-at-home order more costly than reopening for business.
By targeting one of the region’s largest commercial centres, the state hopes to force a collective shift in behaviour, betting that economic necessity will outweigh lingering apprehension.
As the market gates remain locked for the week, the standoff in Onitsha reflects a wider struggle in the Southeast over authority, normalcy, and public confidence. Attention will now turn to next Monday, when traders are expected to decide whether to return, a decision that could shape the future of Monday economic life in Anambra State.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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