The protesters, marching under police guidance, displayed placards and chanted songs in protest of the governor’s action.
Protests against Anambra State Governor, Prof. Charles Soludo, entered a third day on Thursday as traders at the Onitsha Main Market, joined by residents of the city, marched on major roads in Onitsha in opposition to the one-week closure of the market over continued observance of the Monday sit-at-home.
The protesters, marching under police guidance, displayed placards and chanted songs in protest of the governor’s action.
“Soludo, there will be no market on Monday,” the protesters chanted as they marched in a coordinated and peaceful demonstration.
A video clip seen by SaharaReporters on Thursday showed hundreds of protesters, with police officers marching on the Ochanja area of Onitsha.
The renewed demonstrations come two days after SaharaReporters reported rising tension in Onitsha following the deployment of heavy security operatives who barricaded all entrances to the Main Market to enforce the governor’s directive.
On Tuesday, thousands of traders poured into the streets after security personnel drawn from the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Army, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the Department of State Services (DSS) prevented access to the sprawling commercial hub.
Videos circulating on social media showed large crowds of traders chanting and carrying placards demanding the reopening of the market and the withdrawal of security operatives.
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?”
Several traders 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 argued that the sit-at-home phenomenon had gone beyond the control of the state government.
“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.”
He 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,” the trader claimed.
The protests were triggered by Governor Soludo’s order on Monday, January 26, 2026, directing the immediate closure of Onitsha Main Market after an unscheduled visit during which he observed that most traders failed to open their shops, despite government directives mandating full commercial activities on Mondays.
The sit-at-home practice, initially linked to separatist agitation and demands for the release of detained Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu, had been officially abolished by the Anambra State Government as part of efforts to restore normalcy and revive economic activities.
During the visit, Soludo described the continued closure of markets on Mondays as “deliberate sabotage of the state’s economy”.
“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 said.