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Economy & BizImo StateOnitsha Main Market

“No More Fear”: Army Assures Onitsha Traders of Full Protection as Soludo Crushes Sit-at-Home

Business Desk

ONITSHA — Following a week of high tension, sporadic gunshots, and psychological warfare, the Nigerian Army has officially commended the traders of the Onitsha Main Market for displaying “patriotic courage” by reopening their shops and defying the illegal Monday sit-at-home order.

The market buzzed back to life on Monday, February 2, effectively ending the one-week punitive shutdown ordered by Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo.

To reinforce the government’s victory over non-state actors, the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army issued a strong guarantee of safety on Tuesday, vowing to crush any attempts by remnants of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Eastern Security Network (ESN) to intimidate the traders.

The Army’s Promise

Speaking from Enugu on Tuesday morning, Lt.-Col. Olabisi Ayeni, the Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations (82 Division), praised the traders for taking a stand for economic progress.

“The courageous decision of Onitsha Main Market traders to reopen their businesses after years of succumbing to empty threats is highly commendable,” Lt.-Col. Ayeni stated. “The Nigerian Army stands ready to defend these law-abiding citizens. Our forces remain fully deployed and on alert to dismantle the remnants of criminal elements who want to ruin the economic prosperity of the South-East.”

A Week of Chaos and the “Coffin” Threat

The journey to this reopening was fierce.

  • The Shutdown: Last Monday (January 26), Governor Soludo ordered the market sealed for a week after traders complied with IPOB’s sit-at-home directive. He described the compliance as “economic sabotage,” which costs Anambra State N8 billion weekly.
  • The Clash: On Tuesday, January 27, chaos erupted as protesting traders clashed with a joint security force of Army and Police operatives deployed to enforce the barricade. Sporadic gunshots sent residents scrambling for safety.
  • The Scare Tactics: In a desperate bid to stop the February 2 reopening, suspected hoodlums dumped a coffin at the “White House”—the administrative headquarters of the market—on Sunday night. The morbid warning was aimed at the Market Chairman, Chijioke Okpalaugo, threatening him not to open the gates.

Soludo Shops in Victory

Defying the coffin threat, traders flooded the market on Monday morning, clocking in on attendance registers.

Governor Soludo arrived at the market around 2:00 PM under heavy security to celebrate the milestone. Moving from shop to shop at the Emeka Offor Plaza, the Governor purchased locally-made goods and addressed the jubilant crowd.

“We have ended sit-at-home in Onitsha,” Soludo declared to cheers. “For the first time in five years, Onitsha is open for business on a Monday. I am an original Onitsha boy; don’t be surprised if I haggle with you on prices. Anambra is back to business.”

The Economic Impact

The successful reopening marks a critical turning point for the South-East’s largest commercial hub. For years, the enforced Monday closures decimated supply chains, costing the region an estimated N19.6 billion weekly.

With the Nigerian Army now establishing a permanent, visible presence within the market’s perimeter, traders express hope that the era of empty Mondays is finally in the past.