In a far-reaching step to enforce compliance with the Anambra State Government’s directive against the controversial Monday sit-at-home order, Governor of Anambra State, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, has ordered the immediate closure of the Onitsha Main Market for an initial period of one week, Newday Reporters can confirm.
The drastic action followed the persistent refusal of traders in the popular commercial hub to open their shops on Monday, despite repeated warnings and public appeals by the state government urging residents and business owners to ignore the sit-at-home directive imposed by non-state actors and go about their legitimate economic activities without fear.
The Monday sit-at-home order, which has crippled economic and social life across the South-East region for several years, was recently and strongly condemned by the Soludo administration. The government had assured residents of adequate security and called on them to resume normal activities as part of efforts to restore peace, productivity, and public confidence in the authority of the state.
However, traders at the Onitsha Main Market reportedly defied the government’s directive and kept their shops shut, prompting the governor to take decisive enforcement measures.
According to the governor, the one-week shutdown is only the first phase of the sanctions.
He warned that if traders fail to reopen their shops at the expiration of the one-week closure, the market would be shut down for an entire month. He further issued a stern warning that continued defiance could attract even more severe consequences, including the deployment of bulldozers to demolish and level the market.
Governor Soludo stressed that the action was not taken out of spite but as a necessary step to safeguard law-abiding citizens, revive economic life, and reassert the supremacy of the state over all forms of intimidation and unlawful orders. He maintained that the government cannot fold its arms while a few individuals or groups deliberately undermine public safety, cripple the economy, and openly disregard lawful directives aimed at restoring normalcy and stability in the state.
He reiterated that the state has put security measures in place to protect traders and residents and urged all market operators to cooperate with the government in its efforts to end the sit-at-home menace permanently.
Following the directive, heavy security presence was immediately deployed to the market area. Security operatives, including personnel from the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, and other security agencies, were stationed at the market and its surroundings to seal the gates, enforce the closure order, and ensure full compliance.
Newday Reporters gathered that the government remains resolute on enforcing the directive and will not hesitate to escalate punitive measures if the traders continue to defy the state’s authority.
