Traders in Anambra State, especially those at the Onitsha Main Market, are in dilemma following the threat by Governor Chukwuma Soludo to convert their shops to schools should they adhere to the directive by the Indigenous People of Biafra to sit-at-home today.
IPOB, in a statement issued on Friday, had accused Soludo of working with “Abuja collaborators” to undermine the rights of Igbo traders and the Biafran self-determination movement.
The group announced what it described as a “Biafra-wide solidarity strike,” calling for a total shutdown of economic activities across the South-East and other Biafran territories on February 2 (today).
The statement read in part, “The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), under the leadership of Nnamdi Kanu, hereby declares a Biafra-wide solidarity strike, a complete lockdown of all economic activities across Igboland and wider Biafran territories, on Monday, February 2, 2026.
“This action is a direct response to the closure of the Onitsha Main Market by the Anambra State Governor and threats of further punitive measures against traders for observing the Monday sit-at-home.”
IPOB described the market closure as an attack on traders’ livelihoods, insisting that the sit-at-home was a voluntary act of solidarity and not enforced by the group.
The group called on residents of the South-East to remain indoors on the said date and refrain from commercial activities, urging supporters to conduct themselves peacefully and lawfully.
“On Monday, February 2, 2026, we call on all Biafrans across Anambra, Abia, Imo, Enugu, Ebonyi and beyond to observe this solidarity strike peacefully,” the statement added.
IPOB reiterated its demand for the unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu and accused the Anambra State Government of escalating tensions through what it described as economic intimidation of traders.
THE POINT had reported how Soludo ordered the closure of the Onitsha Main Market for one week, citing continued observance of the sit-at-home declared by IPOB since July 30, 2021.
The governor had said the sit-at-home was crippling the state’s economy and warned against further compliance with the order.
However, traders at the market said the sit-at-home was in solidarity with the detained leader of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, who is standing trial on charges related to separatist agitation.
After protests and a series of negotiations, the Anambra State Government announced the reopening of the Onitsha Main Market on Monday (today) for full economic and commercial activities, assuring traders and residents of adequate security.
Soludo had warned that the closure could be extended if traders failed to comply, adding that security agencies were deployed to seal the market to enforce the order.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Commissioner for Information, Law Mefor, announced that the one-week closure had elapsed and directed traders to resume normal business activities on Monday.
Mefor urged traders to ignore threats from non-state actors, assuring them of maximum security, and encouraged residents to report any security concerns via the emergency line, 5111.
He also reminded civil servants and teachers that the state’s pro-rata salary policy remained in force, stressing that “no work on Monday means no pay.”
The commissioner further warned parents to ensure their children attend school on Mondays to avoid sanctions.
The statement read in part, “This is to inform the general public that the closure of Onitsha Main Market, ordered by Mr Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, lapses this weekend.
“Accordingly, all traders are hereby directed to resume business as usual on Monday, February 2, 2026, as there is no longer any form of sit-at-home on Mondays in Anambra State.
“Ndị Anambra and residents are assured of adequate security and are encouraged to report any security concerns to 5111.
“Meanwhile, civil servants and teachers are reminded that the pro-rata salary system remains in force — no work on Monday, no pay.
“Parents are also advised to release their children for school on Mondays to avoid sanctions.”
However, THE POINT gathered that traders are in a state of confusion whether to open their shops today or comply with IPOB’s directive.
“It is a complicated situation for us traders at Onitsha Market because there is a condition Governor Soludo already attached to the reopening of the market, of which we feel that not going to the shop on Monday may make him carry out his threat of shutting it down again and converting it to a school.
“On the other hand, these IPOB people appear deadly whenever they issue a sit-at-home directive. They may want to attack us if we come to shops.
“Although the state governor has assured that there will be security provisions, we all know how these things work,” a trader at Onitsha Market who identified himself as Chinedu told The Point.