Traders at the Onitsha Main Market in Anambra State on Tuesday staged a protest over the one-week closure of the market ordered by Governor Chukwuma Soludo.
Viral videos shared on social media platforms, including X and Facebook, showed traders trooping to the market premises with placards, chanting solidarity songs and voicing support for the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.
In some of the clips, protesters were heard chanting slogans such as, “Soludo, we no go gree o,” and “Say no to Monday,” in apparent opposition to the enforcement of economic activities on Mondays.
Earlier, security agencies barricaded the Onitsha Main Market to enforce the shutdown, deploying hundreds of operatives to the area. Armoured Personnel Carriers and Hilux vans were positioned at strategic points around the market to restrict movement.
Governor Soludo had ordered the closure on Monday during an on-the-spot assessment of the market after traders and market leaders reportedly refused to open for business, despite repeated appeals by the state government to resume normal commercial activities.
The Anambra State Government has maintained that the persistent Monday sit-at-home has severe economic consequences, estimating losses of about ₦8 billion weekly for the state and approximately ₦19.6 billion across the South-East region.
Meanwhile, the Indigenous People of Biafra has condemned the market closure, describing the action as punitive and intimidating.
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