In a bold crackdown aimed at ending what the Anambra State Government has described as economic sabotage, Governor Chukwuma Soludo has ordered the immediate closure of Onitsha Main Market for one week.
The move is a direct response to traders’ continued compliance with the illegal Monday sit-at-home directive, which has disrupted commerce across the state.
The directive, issued on Monday, follows repeated warnings by the government to traders, market leaders and residents to disengage from the sit-at-home order, which officials say lacks legal backing and has crippled economic activities across Anambra.
“This is no longer about fear or compliance under duress. It is about restoring law, order, and economic sanity,” a senior government official told reporters, explaining the rationale behind the closure.
Onitsha Main Market is one of the largest commercial hubs in Nigeria, serving millions of traders and consumers nationwide. The closure of such a major trading centre is expected to send shockwaves across supply chains in the South-East and beyond.
The government has warned that if the market fails to fully reopen by next Monday, the closure will be extended to one month—an escalation that could have severe economic consequences for traders and the wider region.
The Anambra State Government has insisted that continued observance of the sit-at-home order undermines public safety efforts, encourages criminal activity and portrays the state as unsafe for business and investment.
In response, the government issued a stern warning to market unions, transport operators, and individuals suspected of enforcing or promoting the sit-at-home directive.
According to the government, anyone found aiding or abetting the practice would face legal and regulatory sanctions.
Security agencies have reportedly been placed on high alert to ensure compliance and protect traders willing to open their shops.
While some traders welcomed the government’s firm stance, describing it as long overdue, others expressed fear and uncertainty, citing security concerns and past incidents of violence linked to defying sit-at-home orders.
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Many traders remain skeptical about reopening fully, worried that they may become targets of violent reprisals if they break away from the directive.
The government, however, reassured residents that adequate security measures are being put in place to protect lives and property, urging traders to cooperate in the interest of collective economic survival.
As the countdown to next Monday begins, all eyes are now on Onitsha Main Market, where the decision to reopen or remain shut could determine the economic direction of Anambra State in the coming weeks.
Governor Soludo had earlier warned civil servants in the state that they would not receive salaries if they refuse to come to work on Mondays, underscoring the government’s determination to end the sit-at-home disruption once and for all.
For now, traders and residents wait anxiously, hoping that peace, stability and commerce will return to Nigeria’s busiest market hub.