IPOB Directs Onitsha Main Market Traders to Open Shops Despite Soludo’s Closure Order
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The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has asked traders and shop owners at the Onitsha Main Market to open for business on Tuesday, despite a directive by Anambra State Governor Prof. Chukwuma Soludo ordering the closure of the market for one week from Tuesday.
Governor Soludo had earlier on Monday announced the closure after traders failed to comply with the state government’s directive to disregard the Monday sit-at-home order. The governor gave the order during an on-the-spot visit to the market alongside his aides and other government officials.
He warned that the closure of the Onitsha Main Market could be extended if traders continued to defy government directives. Soludo also stated that security agencies had sealed the market to ensure full enforcement of the order.
Soludo described the situation as the latest and perhaps most drastic step in the prolonged struggle over control of economic activities in the Southeast. He noted that persistent fear among traders was affecting normal business operations in the region.
However, in a statement issued late on Monday, IPOB spokesman Emma Powerful said the governor must be reminded that no government entity established or funded the businesses of the traders at the Onitsha Main Market. He insisted that traders had the right to decide when and how to conduct their businesses.
Powerful also said the Federal Government must heed calls to release IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu without delay in order to restore peace and normalcy in the Southeast. According to him, the continued detention of Kanu remains a major cause of unrest in the region.
The statement read in part, “The IPOB hereby declares that tomorrow, January 27, 2026, our people in Anambra State shall resume their legitimate business activities and open their shops and markets.
“This action is not in defiance of any gubernatorial order but in the exercise of their God-given right to pursue their daily livelihoods according to their preferences and necessities.”
Powerful added that traders received no form of support from the state during the COVID-19 lockdowns, stressing that their resilience could not be suppressed by any government action. He said the history of the Igbo people showed a long record of endurance and resistance.
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The statement added, “Our people endured a three-year food blockade during the Nigeria-Biafra War and emerged as the most entrepreneurial ethnic group in Africa, as well as the most successful immigrant community in the United States.
“Our fathers liberated Nigeria from colonial rule, our ancestors liberated Haiti from colonial oppression, and in the creeks of Savannah, Georgia, we Igbos chose death over enslavement, a legacy chronicled in Alex Haley’s ‘Roots,’ where our ancestors from Onitsha drowned themselves rather than submit to man-made slavery and bondage.
“We have always chosen death over dishonor. Governor Soludo, you cannot defeat our collective spirit of resistance; history teaches us that.”
Powerful warned that before deploying soldiers from the Onitsha barracks or taking further action against traders, the governor must carefully consider the consequences. He said any arrests, harassment, or bloodshed would be strongly resisted.
He further stated that IPOB was not seeking confrontation with the Anambra State Government but demanded respect for the wishes of the people of Anambra. According to him, attempts to stop traders from opening the Onitsha Main Market would be viewed as an attack on their fundamental rights.
“When the great people of Anambra, the first sons of Igboland and the origin of the Igbo race, demand action toward the unconditional release of our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, it is the divine speaking through them.
“Tomorrow, our markets shall open, and no force on earth can prevent it. We warn that any attempt to obstruct this will invite grave danger upon the enemies of Biafra’s emancipation.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria must heed this call and release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu without further delay to restore peace and normalcy in the Southeast,” the statement concluded.
NaijaEyes had earlier reported that Soludo ordered the closure of the Onitsha Main Market for one week after many traders ignored the government’s directive to resume business activities on Mondays.
The governor said that despite assurances of improved security, many traders still kept their shops locked, a situation he described as a reflection of lingering fear in the region.
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