Reported By Mary Udezue | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
A woman has appealed to authorities and the public for help in finding her husband, Chief Francis Enibe, the Chairman of Mgbuka Amazu Market in Onitsha, Anambra State, who was abducted in September 2023 after opening the market in accordance with a directive from Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo. Residents and traders continue to express concern over his prolonged disappearance and what it means for economic activity in the region.
In a widely viewed video circulating on social media, the woman recounted how her husband was taken on Monday, 25 September 2023, shortly after complying with Governor Soludo’s order that markets in the state be opened on Mondays to counter the long‑standing sit‑at‑home directive that had crippled business activity across the South‑East. At the time, Chief Enibe was said to have been engaged in opening the Mgbuka Amazu Market for normal trading, observing prayers and sanitation activities before armed assailants struck.
According to contemporaneous news reports from Tori, BusinessDay and The Nation, unidentified gunmen stormed his market stall in the early hours of that Monday, fired shots into the air, beat Chief Enibe unconscious and forced him into a vehicle before driving off to an unknown destination. His whereabouts have remained unknown since then, and efforts by family members and market executives to establish contact have not yielded results.
The woman described her husband as a peaceful and law‑abiding man who supported government directives and was active in community affairs, including campaigning for Soludo’s first tenure as governor. She appealed directly to Governor Soludo to intervene, saying that her family has spent all its resources searching for him and has not received official assistance or communication regarding his case even years after his abduction.
Chief Enibe’s disappearance has been repeatedly linked by traders and civic observers to the ongoing sit‑at‑home order — a weekly self‑imposed shutdown widely observed on Mondays across parts of the South‑East, originally instituted by secessionist elements. The directive has intermittently disrupted commerce, compelling government and market leaders to urge traders to resume business activity on Mondays. However, the kidnapping of Enibe after complying with Soludo’s court order fuelled fear and discouraged many from fully resuming operations on Mondays, even when markets were opened in name.
Market associations, including the Anambra State Markets Amalgamated Traders Association (ASMATA), confirmed that efforts were underway in the aftermath of the incident to locate Chief Enibe, but information has been scarce and his fate remains uncertain. Local reports indicate that the abduction contributed to continued anxiety among traders and residents, reinforcing reluctance to resume regular Monday trading despite government appeals.
The state police command previously stated that details of the abduction were being monitored, though no definitive resolution has been publicly announced. The case underscores the broader challenge of insecurity affecting market communities in the region and the fragile nature of efforts to normalise economic life amid threats of violence.
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