Soludo shuts Onitsha main market for one week over sit-at-home compliance
Chukwuma Soludo, governor of Anambra, has ordered the closure of the Onitsha Main Market for one week after traders continued to observe the Monday sit-at-home, despite government directives to resume normal business activities.
Soludo issued the directive on Monday during an unscheduled inspection of the market, where he found a large number of shops locked.
The governor warned that the shutdown would be extended to one month if traders fail to reopen fully by the following Monday.
“We are going to cordon this whole place off for the first one week. If we come on Monday and it’s locked, we are going to lock the market for one month,” Soludo said.
He said compliance with government regulations was non-negotiable for anyone seeking to operate businesses in the state, stressing that markets are expected to function from Monday to Friday.
“If you want to do business, you come; if not, you can go home. Anambra is open to everybody, but if you must trade here, you must abide by the rules,” the governor said.
The development comes days after the Anambra government announced plans to deduct the salaries of civil servants who stay away from work on Mondays as part of renewed efforts to end the sit-at-home practice across the state.
The government said the prevailing security situation no longer justifies the continued closure of offices and businesses on Mondays, warning that absenteeism would attract sanctions.
Officials said the latest measures are aimed at restoring economic activity and normalising public life in the state.
The sit-at-home in Nigeria’s south-east began in 2021 following calls by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to protest the arrest and detention of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
On November 20, 2025, a federal high court in Abuja sentenced Kanu to life imprisonment.
