Aniefiok Christopher
The Anambra State Government says the state loses about N8 billion while the entire South-East region loses about N19.6 billion every week due to the persistent Monday sit-at-home.
The state Commissioner for Information, Law Mefor, who stated this in a press statement he issued on Monday, said that, as a result, the state government has shut the Onitsha Main Market for one week following traders’ failure to comply with the state government’s directive to disregard the Monday sit-at-home order.
Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, during an on-site inspection of the sprawling market on Monday, ordered the closure after traders and market leadership refused to open for business, ignoring repeated government appeals to resume normal economic activity.
But, the IPOB has condemned the decision by the governor to shut down the Onitsha Main Market for one week following defiance of the government’s Monday sit-at-home directive.
The commissioner said the market will remain shut from Monday, January 26, 2026, to Saturday, January 31, 2026, warning the general public to stay away from the Main Market during this period to avoid any unpleasant encounters with security personnel already deployed to the area.
“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.
“Traders are further warned that if they are not ready to resume trading on Monday, February 2, 2026, and indeed every other Monday, the market will face a one-month closure next Monday. The general public is also advised to stay away from the Main Market during this period to avoid any unpleasant encounters with security personnel already deployed to the area.
The directive was intended to pressurise the Federal Government to release Kanu, with residents instructed to stay indoors and businesses shut every Monday.
Straightnews reports had declared Monday sit-at-home order in the South-East which was initially declared in August 2021 by the Indigenous People of Biafra following the arrest and detention of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
Although IPOB later announced the suspension of the sit-at-home order, compliance has persisted in many parts of the region due largely to fear of attacks, intimidation and sporadic violence by criminal elements enforcing the order.
Over the years, the continued observance has severely disrupted commercial activities, education, transportation and public services across the South-East, prompting repeated condemnations by state governments, traditional rulers and business groups.
