IPOB Defies Soludo: Orders Onitsha Market Open Despite Shutdown

Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo has ordered the closure of the Onitsha Main Market, West Africa’s largest, for one week starting Tuesday, January 27, 2026. This drastic step follows traders’ refusal to open on Monday, defying state directives to ignore the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) sit-at-home order . Soludo issued the command during an on-site inspection, flanked by aides and security, warning of extensions to a month or longer if noncompliance persists ​.

In a swift rebuttal, IPOB spokesman Emma Powerful declared that traders must resume business Tuesday, framing it as a fundamental right rather than rebellion. The group argued no government funds their operations, citing traders’ endurance through COVID-19 lockdowns and the Nigeria-Biafra War as proof of unbreakable spirit ​. Powerful invoked Igbo history—from anti-colonial resistance to self-liberation in Haiti and U.S. struggles detailed in Alex Haley’s Roots—to assert that Soludo cannot suppress their will ​.

Soludo portrayed the closure as a pivotal battle against non-state actors strangling Southeast economics, noting persistent fear despite enhanced security. Anambra reportedly loses N8 billion weekly to the sit-at-home, underscoring the stakes ​. IPOB warned against arrests or force, promising resistance and urging the Federal Government to free leader Nnamdi Kanu for regional peace ​.

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This standoff highlights deepening rifts over security, autonomy, and governance in Igboland, with potential for escalation as Tuesday looms . Security agencies have sealed the market, but IPOB insists “no force on earth” will stop operations ​.