Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, yesterday ordered the immediate closure of the Onitsha Main Market for one week, following the continued sit-at-home observed by traders.

The governor gave the directive in Onitsha shortly after visiting the market, saying the refusal of the market leadership to open was against government instructions.

According to him, the move represents the latest and most drastic effort to determine who controls time and economic life in Southeast Nigeria on Mondays.

Soludo said: “The enemy is the long-standing, fear-enforced Monday sit-at-home order, a ghostly mandate from non-state actors that has strangled businesses and normalised weekly Monday sit-at-home for years. In spite of repeated assurances of enhanced security and appeals to reclaim public spaces, many traders at the iconic market again chose to keep their stalls locked.” He noted that the absence of traders was not just a quiet rebellion but reflected the lingering climate of apprehension in the area.

The governor said the government would not stand by while a few individuals deliberately undermined public safety and disregarded official directives aimed at restoring normalcy. He warned that if the market failed to reopen after the one-week shutdown, it would be sealed for a month, and possibly longer.

“You either decide that you are going to trade here or you go elsewhere. I am very serious about this,” Soludo said.