Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State has issued a final, uncompromising directive to traders across the state, warning that any shop owner who fails to open for business on Monday will be fined ₦20 million, with an additional ₦20 million penalty if a sealed shop is illegally reopened. The announcement, made during an emergency meeting with leaders of 41 major markets at the Anambra State Light House in Awka on Thursday, May 21, 2026, marks the most aggressive escalation yet in the governor's three‑year campaign to end the Monday sit‑at‑home order that has crippled commercial activities in the state since 2021.
According to the governor, the policy is backed by the Anambra State Market Law 2026, which was passed by the State House of Assembly on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, and officially designates 40 major markets — including the Onitsha Main Market, Ariaria‑line (Agba Edo) Nnewi, and Nkwo Umunze — as "Areas of Significant Economic and Security Interest". The law mandates that businesses within these markets must remain open every day of the week except Sundays and official public holidays, and prohibits compliance with instructions from non‑state actors.
Addressing the market leaders, Soludo was characteristically blunt. "If we seal your shop and you go ahead to open it, you are liable for the second offence, that is, another 20 million. The first offence of not opening the shop is 20 million naira, and the offence of opening it is another 20 million naira," the governor said, according to multiple news reports. "We need money. If you want to close your shop every Monday for good reasons, it is okay, but we will make a plea bargain, and you will pay us no less than 5 million naira. Our commerce is the most important sector of our economy".
The governor, however, offered a concession: "The reason we are focused on the markets is that Commerce is the dominant sector of our economy and we will not let anyone cripple it. Nobody should claim ignorance, ignorance is no excuse in the court of the law".
The emergency meeting on May 21 was convened to brief market leaders on the new enforcement regime following the passage of the market law. At the meeting, the governor also announced plans for fresh elections in markets across the state as part of broader reforms to improve transparency, accountability and security in market administration. Eligibility to vote or be voted for would depend on payment of stallage fees and taxes over the past three years, he said.
In addition to the fines, the new law prescribes severe penalties for non‑compliance. Offenders risk at least three years in prison or fines of not less than ₦20 million upon conviction. The legislation extends beyond traditional markets: motor parks and private business premises can also be designated as security interest areas by the governor. The law further mandates that all market developments must strictly adhere to the state's physical planning and building control regulations.
The market leaders responded to the governor's announcement by pledging to comply, while also drawing attention to security challenges. Mr. Chijioke Okpalugo, Chairman of the Onitsha Main Market, pledged that traders would resume full Monday operations in line with the governor's vision of a "One Anambra". The traders' leadership also made several requests to ensure a smooth transition, including a visible and proactive security presence in and around markets, full operation of motor parks to enable buyers from outside the state to access the markets, and decisive action against individuals who benefit from or facilitate the enforcement of the sit‑at‑home order.
Following the governor's directive, market chairmen in various locations began sensitizing their members. On the same day, the Chairman of the New Auto Spare Parts Market, Nkpor in Idemili North LGA, Chief Stephen Ofoleh (Award), convened an emergency meeting of his traders, warning them of the dire consequences of violating the new law. "We do not want any member of New Auto Spare Parts Market Nkpor to fall victim of the Anambra State Markets law 2026 which was passed by the State Assembly in March earlier this year," Ofoleh told his members. He disclosed that the enforcement of the law would commence on Monday, May 25, 2026, and that soft and hard copies of the law are available on the market's platforms for all members to access.
According to Ofoleh, the law explicitly states: "If government comes here on Monday and discovers that your shop is closed they will seal it up. Your duty is to meet with government in the Anambra State High Court. Your shop will be under lock and key for the duration of the court case and when found guilty you will pay the sum of 20 million naira. Moreso, in a situation whereby a defaulter removes/breaks the seal on his shop to gain entrance, he or she is required to pay additional 20 million naira as fine making it a total of 40 million naira. If you decide to plea bargain, you can settle out of court by paying the sum of between 5 million naira to 10 million naira".
The governor's announcement has triggered widespread outrage on social media, with many Nigerians questioning the severity of the penalties and raising concerns about insecurity. On X (formerly Twitter), user @idahbig wrote: "Very useless man at this point we should not blame his son cause na like father like son." @_bigmanchi said: "Road and schools are in the worst conditions yet this idiot is so focused on who and who doesn't open their shops on Monday, can't this bastard learn from Otti." @ThatGuyFola reacted: "Must I open my shop on Monday? Can't I decide to rest? So I have to explain to the government why I didn't open my shop? Peak fooling".
Other users questioned the governor's logic in the absence of adequate security. @_megbos wrote: "Provide security measures and strategies to gradually implement no more sit at home instead of forcing people to open shop. If they are attacked, will you cater for them? Do these politicians think at all". @JonathanGrys questioned: "Why not provide security for them on Monday". A few voices, however, supported the governor's stance, arguing that the state cannot afford to allow a handful of people to hold the entire economy hostage.
The Monday sit‑at‑home order was introduced in 2021 by the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as part of a protest demanding the release of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who was sentenced to life imprisonment by a federal high court in Abuja on November 20, 2025. The directive, however, quickly spread across the South‑East, forcing periodic shutdowns of markets, schools, and transport systems. While the order was suspended by IPOB in 2023, many traders in Anambra, particularly in Onitsha and other major commercial hubs, have continued to keep their shops shut on Mondays, citing security concerns.
Governor Soludo's directive is not his first attempt to end the practice. Since assuming office, he has consistently pleaded with traders to resume Monday operations and assured them of security. In February 2026, the Soludo administration ordered a one‑week closure of Onitsha Main Market after traders reportedly continued to comply with the sit‑at‑home directive. In January 2026, the governor described the continued observance of Monday closures as a "deliberate economic sabotage" and threatened to revoke shop ownership. He had also ordered the closure of Onitsha Main Market for one week on January 27, 2026, after traders refused to open on Monday, January 26, for their normal business. Security operatives were deployed to seal market entrances, sparking protests from traders who accused the government of punishing them for trying to protect lives and sources of livelihoods.
In a statement on May 21, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) condemned the governor's directive, describing it as "tyrannical" and an "economic blockade of Onitsha," according to a statement from the group's spokesperson, Emma Powerful. The group accused Soludo of deploying the military and police to block economic arteries, describing the move as the "act of a tin‑pot dictator, not a democratic leader". IPOB further insisted that the "path to peace in the South‑East is through justice, dialogue and the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, not through military barricades and economic suffocation".
The governor has, however, maintained his stance, arguing that the sit‑at‑home has evolved from a political protest into a criminal enterprise that no longer serves the interests of Nnamdi Kanu. "It is not linked to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu," Soludo said. "In 2016/2017, I led 13 Igbo stakeholders to see him, and afterwards addressed a press conference asking for his release, and he was released. I also visited him in DSS custody in March after I assumed office. He does not support the sit‑at‑home. If it does not happen in Umuahia, his hometown, why should it happen in Onitsha and Nnewi?"
As the enforcement date of Monday, May 25, approaches, traders in Anambra State face a stark choice: open their shops or risk fines that could destroy their businesses. The state government has not yet released detailed guidelines on how the fines will be collected or how the sealing and unsealing of shops will be monitored. For the thousands of traders who have observed the Monday sit‑at‑home for years, the path forward is fraught with uncertainty. For Governor Soludo, the policy is a necessary step to restore the economic pulse of Anambra State. As he told the market leaders: "Nobody will be allowed to cripple the economy of Anambra State".
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