The protest followed the early-morning deployment of hundreds of security personnel drawn from the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Department of State Services (DSS), who barricaded all major entrances to the sprawling commercial hub and prevented traders from accessing their shops.
Tension escalated at the Onitsha Main Market in Anambra State on Tuesday as thousands of traders took to the streets to protest Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s directive ordering the closure of the market for one week over continued observance of the Monday sit-at-home.
The protest followed the early-morning deployment of hundreds of security personnel drawn from the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Department of State Services (DSS), who barricaded all major entrances to the sprawling commercial hub and prevented traders from accessing their shops.
Videos circulating widely on social media showed large crowds of traders marching with placards and chanting, demanding the immediate withdrawal of security operatives and the reopening of the market.
In some of the clips, protesters were seen running for safety amid what appeared to be sporadic gunfire by security operatives attempting to disperse the crowd.
In one of the videos, a male voice was heard shouting, “If anyone is killed today, Governor Soludo should bear the responsibility. You cannot force people to come to the market on a particular day. If he wants to solve the sit-at-home issue, he should go and release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. Why are South-East politicians always looking for opportunities to destroy Igbo youths?”
Angry traders also accused the governor of punishing innocent business owners and acting under pressure from the Federal Government
“You cannot tell me when to open my shop or not,” a trader said. “Some shop owners travelled to Lagos, some even went overseas to buy goods. Why should everybody be punished for travelling to procure goods for their businesses?”
Another trader questioned the effectiveness of the government’s strategy, arguing that the sit-at-home phenomenon had evolved beyond state control.
“The issue of Monday sit-at-home is bigger than Governor Soludo,” he said. “Some people now use Mondays to rest from the long week of business. There is no other real rest day again. Sit-at-home has even become a blessing in disguise because Sundays are now filled with church activities and family meetings.”
The trader further alleged political motives behind the enforcement drive. “The governor and his fellow stooges in the South-East are all in support of the imprisonment of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu because they see him as a threat to their political ambitions,” he claimed.
The protest comes a day after Governor Soludo ordered the immediate closure of Onitsha Main Market following an unscheduled visit on Monday, January 26, 2026, during which he observed that most traders failed to open for business despite repeated government directives mandating full commercial activities on Mondays.
The sit-at-home practice, initially associated with separatist agitations and calls for the release of detained Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu, has been officially abolished by the Anambra State Government as part of efforts to restore normalcy and revive economic activities.
During the visit, Soludo reportedly described the continued closure of markets on Mondays as “deliberate sabotage of the state’s economy” and warned that any market, shop or plaza that remains shut on that day would be sealed.
“Any market, shop or plaza that refuses to open on Mondays will be shut for one week, and repeated violations will attract stiffer sanctions,” the governor was quoted as saying.
A senior government official said the shutdown of Onitsha Main Market was intended to send a strong message.
“This is not about witch-hunting anybody. It is about enforcing the law and ensuring that our economy functions optimally,” the official said. “Anambra cannot continue to lose billions of naira every Monday.”
The state government has also warned that civil servants, schools and other institutions that fail to comply with Monday resumption directives may face sanctions, including salary deductions and administrative penalties.
However, traders fear that the market closure will deepen their economic hardship.
“We are suffering already,” a female trader said. “Closing the market for one week means no income, no food, no school fees. Government should find a better way to address this problem.”
As security operatives maintain a heavy presence around the market, uncertainty continues to loom over Africa’s largest open-air market, while the wider debate over sit-at-home, insecurity and political grievances in the South-East remains unresolved.