Traders at the Onitsha Market in Anambra State on Tuesday protested the one-week closure of the market ordered by Governor Chukwuma Soludo.
Videos currently gaining traction on social media show the traders in their numbers with placards, chanting solidarity songs and expressing support for the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.
In other videos, they were seen chanting, “Soludo, we no go gree o,” “Say no to Monday,” among others.
Earlier, security operatives stormed the market and barricaded the surrounding area as part of the move to enforce the one-week closure order.
Hundreds of security personnel were reportedly seen moving around the area early Tuesday morning, as several security vehicles, including Armoured Personnel Carriers and Hillux vans, were used to block strategic locations across the market.
Recall that Soludo, during an on-site inspection of the 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.
The state government also revealed that the persistent Monday sit-at-home costs Anambra approximately N8 billion weekly, contributing to a regional loss of N19.6 billion in the South-East.
Reacting to Governor Soludo’s order, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) condemned the shutdown of the market, describing it as punitive and intimidating.