Security operatives on Tuesday moved into the Onitsha Main Market to enforce a one week closure ordered by Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo. The action triggered protests from traders and condemnation from the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.
Soldiers and police were deployed early in the day, with patrol vehicles stationed around the market to block access and ensure compliance with the directive.
Soludo announced the closure on Monday after traders reportedly ignored repeated calls by the state government to resume business on Mondays despite the sit at home order in the South East.
The state government said the continued shutdown was costing Anambra about eight billion naira weekly, with wider losses across the region estimated at nearly twenty billion naira.
Security teams barricaded the market area, leaving shops locked as traders gathered outside to discuss the situation. Only a few food vendors and sachet water sellers were seen operating nearby.
Tension briefly rose as operatives moved around the premises, leading to minor confrontations and traders scattering in different directions.
IPOB later urged traders to defy the governor’s order and reopen the market, calling the closure unacceptable. Protests followed, with some traders chanting slogans in support of detained IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu.
Police said the deployment was strictly to maintain law and order. Meanwhile, market leadership backed the governor’s decision, describing it as necessary to restore economic stability and urging traders to remain calm.
