Soludo Reopens Onitsha Market Amid Fresh Sit-at-Home Order By IPOB

The Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, has ordered the reopening of the Onitsha Main Market on Monday for full economic and commercial activities.

Soludo ordered the closure of the market for one week following the failure of traders to comply with the state government’s directive to disregard the Monday sit-at-home order by the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

He gave the directive during an on-the-spot assessment of the market, accompanied by top government officials and security personnel.

Soludo had warned that the closure could be extended if traders failed to comply, adding that security agencies were deployed to seal the market to enforce the order.

The development triggered protests by traders who marched through major streets in Onitsha, demanding the immediate reopening of the commercial hub.

Videos circulating on social media platforms showed angry traders trooping to the market with placards, chanting solidarity songs.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the Commissioner for Information, Law Mefor, announced that the one-week closure had elapsed and directed traders to resume normal business activities on Monday.

Mefor urged traders to ignore threats from non-state actors, assuring them of maximum security, and encouraged residents to report any security concerns via the emergency line, 5111.

He also reminded civil servants and teachers that the state’s pro-rata salary policy remained in force, stressing that “no work on Monday means no pay.”

The statement read, “This is to inform the general public that the closure of Onitsha Main Market, ordered by Mr Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, lapses this weekend.

“Accordingly, all traders are hereby directed to resume business as usual on Monday, February 2, 2026, as there is no longer any form of sit-at-home on Mondays in Anambra State.

“Ndị Anambra and residents are assured of adequate security and are encouraged to report any security concerns to 5111.

“Meanwhile, civil servants and teachers are reminded that the pro-rata salary system remains in force — no work on Monday, no pay.

“Parents are also advised to release their children for school on Mondays to avoid sanctions.”

Meanwhile, a faction of IPOB had declared a one-day sit-at-home on Monday 2 February across the South-east.

Emma Powerful, the IPOB spokesperson, in a statement on Friday, said the sit-at-home directive was in protest against the closure of the Onitsha Main Market by Governor Soludo.

“The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), under the resolute and prophetic leadership of our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, hereby declares a Biafra-wide solidarity strike, a complete lockdown of all economic activities across Igboland and wider Biafran territories, on Monday, 2 February 2026,” he said.

The IPOB spokesperson described Soludo’s action as “tyrannical.”

“This strike is not enforcement; it is a voluntary, collective expression of outrage and solidarity with the hardworking traders of Onitsha, whose livelihoods are now under direct assault by a governor who has chosen to act as an enforcer for anti-Biafran interests rather than a servant of his people,” he stated

There are reports of fresh anxiety in the South East States of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo over safety of life and property after the IPOB called for a sit-at-home protest across the region on Monday.

In Anambra, Police Command declared its readiness to maintain law and order following the latest statement by IPOB.

The State Police Public Relations Officer, Tochukwu Ikenga, said the initial stage of the security crisis involved attacks on security operatives and destruction of government facilities by criminal elements seeking to instill fear in residents.

According to the police, “the state government, in collaboration with Ndi Anambra, has now resolved to correct harmful practices arising from the security situation, including the illegal sit-at-home and closure of markets on Mondays.”