Traders at the Onitsha Main Market in Anambra State have resumed business activities following the expiration of a one-week closure ordered by Governor Chukwuma Soludo.
The state government had last Monday directed the temporary shutdown of the market over what it described as traders’ compliance with the Monday sit-at-home order enforced by non-state actors in the South-East.
Governor Soludo had warned that failure to reopen the market after the one-week closure would result in an extension of the shutdown for another week, with the possibility of longer closures.
A visit to the market by Channels Television on Monday morning showed traders reopening their shops and resuming commercial activities as early as 8:45am.
From Egerton Road through Ose foodstuff market to The Young Park entrance, traders were seen setting up their wares. Commercial activities also picked up around Emeka Offor Plaza, Sokoto Road, Lagos Line and Marine areas, with customers beginning to patronise open shops.
The reopening followed a week-long disruption of economic activities caused by the shutdown, which the state government said was aimed at discouraging compliance with the sit-at-home order.
The sit-at-home, which has been observed for nearly four years in parts of the South-East, has significantly disrupted economic and social life in the region. The Soludo administration has repeatedly condemned the practice, describing it as an act of economic sabotage.
The Anambra State Government has consistently urged residents to go about their lawful activities without fear, insisting that the state is secure. Security agencies, including the police and the army, were previously deployed to enforce the market closure and maintain order.
Governor Soludo has led efforts to end the sit-at-home practice. In April 2022, he formally declared it over, announced amnesty for youths in hiding and set up a peace and reconciliation committee.
While the governor maintains that the sit-at-home has largely faded, some residents still stay indoors on Mondays out of caution.
