Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has insisted that the closure of the Onitsha Main Market will not be reversed, despite rising tension in the state.
Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday, Soludo described the continued Monday sit-at-home observed by traders as economic sabotage, warning that the government would no longer tolerate it.
He said the government could go as far as revoking shop ownership or even taking over and demolishing the market if traders refuse to open for business.
According to the governor, traders had operated freely throughout the Christmas period, opening from Monday to Saturday and sometimes even on Sundays, without any security issues.
Soludo questioned claims that insecurity was the reason for the Monday shutdown, noting that traders attend meetings, exercise at stadiums, and move around freely on Mondays without fear.
He said other markets in Onitsha and surrounding areas were open, adding that the refusal to open the Main Market appeared deliberate.
The governor traced the Monday sit-at-home to the 2021 protests following the arrest of IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu. He revealed that during a visit to Kanu in detention, Kanu himself expressed displeasure with the sit-at-home order and called for it to stop.
Soludo said the state government later set up a Justice Peace Committee, whose recommendations are currently being implemented.
He also disclosed that the state launched an amnesty programme that saw over 15,000 youths surrender, get rehabilitated, and reintegrated into society.
The governor stressed that Anambra cannot function as a four-day economy while competing with states operating six days a week.
He said the biggest loss from the market shutdown is not government revenue, but the hardship it causes traders, poor families, and schoolchildren.
Soludo accused unnamed politicians of sponsoring the sit-at-home to score political points, warning that their names would soon be revealed.
He described Anambra as one of the safest states in Nigeria and declared that 2026 would be the year to end sit-at-home completely.
The governor warned that traders who fail to open their shops risk losing ownership, as the government plans to begin a recertification process within two weeks.
He added that many people are eager to own shops in the market and that those unwilling to operate should vacate their spaces.
“If you are not ready to open your shop, we will revoke it and give it to someone who will,” Soludo said.
