Soludo Reopens Onitsha Main Market, Declares End to Sit-at-Home

Symbolic Phot 

Soludo Reopens Onitsha Main Market, Declares End to Sit-at-Home

Governor Chukwuma Soludo has officially reopened Onitsha Main Market after a one-week closure, declaring an end to the Monday sit-at-home order in Anambra State.

The reopening marks a bold move to restore economic activity and challenge the influence of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), who had enforced the weekly shutdown for years.

The Background

Onitsha Main Market, one of the largest commercial hubs in West Africa, had been closed for a week after traders defied government directives and continued to observe IPOB’s Monday sit-at-home order. This order, enforced since 2021, crippled economic activity across the South-East, with businesses, schools, and banks shutting down every Monday out of fear of reprisal attacks.

Governor Soludo, determined to break the cycle, visited the market personally with security operatives and ordered its closure, warning that continued defiance could lead to harsher sanctions, including demolition of parts of the market.

The Reopening

On Monday, February 2, 2026, the market reopened fully. Traders cautiously resumed business, with many shops initially locked in the morning but gradually opening as confidence grew. By midday, commercial activity was in full swing, signaling what Soludo described as the end of the sit-at-home era in Anambra State.

Key developments during reopening:

- Attendance registers were introduced to monitor compliance, ensuring traders opened their shops.

- Heightened security presence with police and military patrols reassured traders and customers.

- Major corridors such as Egerton, Ose Foodstuff Market, Emeka Offor Plaza, Sokoto Road, Lagos Line, and Marine saw shops reopening and customers returning.

Political and Social Reactions

The reopening sparked mixed reactions:

- IPOB’s spokesperson, Emma Powerful, condemned the closure and declared a total lockdown across the South-East on February 2 in solidarity with traders, urging schools, banks, and institutions to remain closed.

- Traders expressed relief at returning to business, noting that the sit-at-home had cost them significant losses over the years.

- Anxiety lingered among residents, as many feared possible reprisals from IPOB, but the strong security presence helped ease tensions.

Editorial Perspective

Soludo’s reopening of Onitsha Main Market is more than a local administrative decision, it is a symbolic stand against non-state actors dictating economic life in Anambra. By enforcing compliance and providing security, the governor is attempting to reclaim Mondays for commerce and normalcy. However, the move also risks confrontation with IPOB, whose influence remains strong in parts of the South-East.

The reopening underscores a broader struggle: restoring state authority, reviving economic confidence, and dismantling fear-driven obedience to separatist directives. If sustained, this could mark a turning point in the region’s economic resilience. But the success of this policy will depend on consistent enforcement, trader cooperation, and the ability of security agencies to protect lives and property.

Let’s Take A Break

The reopening of Onitsha Main Market under Soludo’s directive is a defining moment in Anambra’s fight against the sit-at-home culture. It represents both an economic revival and a political statement. Whether this bold move will permanently end the practice or provoke further resistance remains to be seen, but for now, traders and residents are cautiously optimistic that normalcy is returning.