IPOB Defies Soludo, Calls on Anambra Traders to Reopen Markets

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has called on traders and shop owners across Anambra State to reopen their businesses, defying the state government’s order shutting major markets for one week.

The call comes after Governor Chukwuma Soludo ordered the closure of Onitsha Main Market and other markets over traders’ continued observance of the Monday sit-at-home. The state government said the action was taken to enforce compliance and curb economic losses linked to the practice.

In a statement, IPOB urged traders not to succumb to what it described as intimidation, insisting that citizens have the right to earn a living. The group argued that the sit-at-home reflects unresolved political grievances and warned against punishing traders for participating in it.

The Soludo administration has maintained that the sit-at-home is illegal and harmful to the state’s economy, warning that further sanctions could follow if markets remain shut after the one-week closure.

The situation has heightened tension in the state, with traders caught between government directives and pressure from separatist groups over whether to resume normal business activities.