The Government of Anambra State has declared that the Onitsha Main Market will reopen on Monday for economic activities, reassuring traders and residents that sufficient measures have been emplaced to ensure their safety.
It will be recalled that the State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, had earlier instructed that the market should be shut down for one week following the traders' defiance of the government’s directive to ignore the Monday sit-at-home order by the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Soludo also cautioned that continuous disregard for the directive could lead to prolonged closure of the market, noting that security personnel had been mobilized to shut the market and ensure the order was implemented.
However, the Commissioner for Information, Law Mefor, on Sunday, released a statement declaring that the one-week shutdown had ended and instructed traders to return to their regular businesses on Monday.
Mefor advised traders to disregard intimidation from non-state actors, assured them of full security protection, and urged residents to report any security issues through the emergency hotline, 5111.
He further emphasized that the state’s pro-rata salary policy for teachers and civil servants was still in effect, emphasizing that failure to work on Mondays would result in no pay.
Parents were also cautioned to ensure their children and wards attend school on Mondays, warning that failure to comply could attract penalties.
“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,” the statement read.
