‘IPOB sit-at-home costs us N8 billion’: Anambra defends temporary closure of Onitsha market

The Anambra State Government has insisted that the Onitsha Main Market will remain shut for at least one week as a punishment for shop owners who observe the sit-at-home directive on Mondays.

Join the Premium Times WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.

Open in WhatsApp

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra ordered the market closure on Monday when he visited and observed that shops in the market were closed for businesses in compliance with the illegal directive.

Mr Soludo, during the visit, threatened that he would extend the closure to one month if traders continued to observe the illegal directive often enforced by a faction of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

‘We lose N8 billion weekly’

In a statement on Monday night, the Commissioner for Information in Anambra, Law Mefor, defended the market closure, saying the state loses N8 billion every week due to the IPOB sit-at-home directive.

Stay Ahead with Premium Times

Add as a preferred source on Google

“The closure is due to non-compliance with the government’s directive to end the Monday sit-at-home, which costs the state up to N8 billion as part of N19.6 billion in the South-east every week, while disrupting work and economic activities, leaving the state haemorrhaging,” Mr Mefor said.

He, however, did not explain how the state government arrived at the figure.

The commissioner warned owners to stay away from the market until next Monday to avoid “unpleasant encounters” with security operatives deployed to enforce the order.

“Traders are warned that if they are not ready to resume trading on Monday, 2 February 2026, and indeed every other Monday, the market will face a one-month closure next Monday.

“Furthermore, all other markets in Anambra State remain open and are expected to operate on Mondays. Any market found closed on Mondays will face a similar closure,” he said.

Mr Mefor assured traders that the state government would ensure maximum security in the market and urged them to contact security operatives during emergencies.

Background

IPOB, in August 2021, introduced a sit-at-home every Monday across the South-east to pressure the Nigerian government to release its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who was standing trial for terrorism at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The separatist group later suspended the order, in preference for it to be implemented only on days Mr Kanu appeared in court.

But despite its suspension, residents of the five South-east states – Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo, Abia and Anambra — had been observing the directive, mostly out of fear.

IPOB later repeatedly disowned the Monday sit-at-home across the region, saying those who still enforce it were criminals attempting to blackmail the separatist group.

But Simon Ekpa, a controversial Biafra agitator, continued to declare the sit-at-home in the region, despite its suspension by the IPOB faction led by Mr Kanu.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Kanu, the IPOB leader in late July 2023, through Aloy Ejimakor, his special counsel, ordered Mr Ekpa to stop issuing sit-at-home directives in the region.

However, Mr Ekpa described the letter as “fake,” and maintained that the illegal action would go on until Mr Kanu spoke to him directly in Finland, a North European country, where he (Ekpa) resides.

Several Igbo leaders such as Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State and leadership of the Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo had made unsuccessful efforts to stop the sit-at-home.

For instance, Governor Soludo had declared prayer to end the sit-at-home in Anambra and later threatened to sanction those who observed it.

Similarly, Mr Mbah, on assumption of office as governor of Enugu in May 2023, banned sit-at-home in the state.

PREMIUM TIMES reports that while the illegal order has almost completely ended in Enugu, Abia and Ebonyi States, it has remained active in Anambra and Imo states.

Mr Kanu was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for terrorism in November and Mr Ekpa was sentenced to six years imprisonment for similar crime in Finland.