Soludo Shuts Onitsha Main Market Over Sit-at-Home Compliance, Threatens One-Month Extension
The Anambra State Government has taken a hard-line decision against what it considers deliberate economic disruption, as Governor Chukwuma Soludo ordered the immediate closure of the Onitsha Main Market.
PulseNets learnt that the market has been shut for an initial period of one week.
PulseNets also obtained that the action was triggered by the continued adherence of traders to the illegal Monday sit-at-home order, despite repeated warnings from the state government.
The shutdown directive, announced on Monday, comes after weeks of engagements and public notices urging traders, market leadership, and residents to disregard the sit-at-home instruction, which government officials maintain has no legal foundation and has severely weakened commercial activities across Anambra State.
Although the closure is currently limited to one week, PulseNets reported that the state government has issued a further warning: if the market does not fully resume operations by next Monday, the shutdown will be extended to one month. Such an extension is expected to significantly affect trade flows, supply chains, and livelihoods across the South-East and other parts of the country that depend on Onitsha Main Market.
“This matter has gone beyond fear or forced compliance. What we are doing is restoring law, order, and economic sanity in Anambra,” a senior government official told PulseNets.
Onitsha Main Market remains one of the largest commercial hubs in West Africa, serving millions of traders, wholesalers, and consumers nationwide.
The Soludo-led administration insists that the continued observance of sit-at-home orders undermines security operations, empowers criminal networks, and damages the state’s reputation as a safe destination for business, investment, and tourism.
PulseNets learnt that the government has also issued a stern warning to market unions, transport operators, and individuals allegedly enforcing or promoting the sit-at-home directive. Authorities stressed that anyone found aiding or abetting the practice would face legal, regulatory, and security consequences.
Security agencies have reportedly been placed on high alert to enforce compliance with the shutdown order and to provide protection for traders who are willing to resume business activities once the market reopens.
Reactions among traders remain mixed. While some traders spoke to PulseNets in support of the government’s decision—describing it as long overdue—others expressed anxiety and uncertainty, pointing to lingering security concerns and past violent incidents linked to defiance of sit-at-home directives.
The Anambra State Government, however, reassured residents and business owners that adequate security arrangements are being deployed to safeguard lives and property. Traders were urged to cooperate fully, with officials emphasizing that economic survival depends on collective resolve.
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As the countdown to next Monday begins, attention is firmly fixed on Onitsha Main Market, where the decision to reopen—or remain shut—may determine Anambra State’s economic trajectory in the coming weeks.
PulseNets recalled that Governor Soludo had earlier warned civil servants in the state that failure to report for work on Mondays would attract salary sanctions.
