The Indigenous People of Biafra has declared a total sit-at-home across the South-East on Monday, calling for a shutdown of economic and social activities in protest against the closure of the Onitsha Main Market by the Anambra State Government.
The pro-Biafran group said the lockdown would cover Anambra, Abia, Imo, Enugu and Ebonyi states, urging traders, transporters, banks, schools, civil servants and residents to observe the action peacefully.
The declaration came as Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, ordered the immediate remodelling of the Onitsha Main Market following a one-week closure of the commercial hub.
Soludo had ordered the market’s closure during an on-site visit, citing the persistent observance of Monday sit-at-home orders and the collapse of infrastructure at what was once described as the biggest market in West Africa.
Addressing traders and stakeholders at the Light House in Awka on Friday, the governor said, “The Onitsha Main Market, in its current state, is no longer functional. We have done the study. The main market is no longer what it was designed to be. It has literally died.
“I recall a time in the late 70s when the market was a model of efficiency, with wide streets allowing trucks and shoppers to move freely. Today, that layout has been replaced by chaos. If people cannot park, they cannot shop. In the late 70s, trucks used to drive into the market; massive parking spaces were provided. Today, that is gone.”
Soludo attributed the market’s decline to decades of poor urban planning and the recurring Monday sit-at-home, noting that the market had been effectively shut for more than 260 days, with billions of naira lost weekly and customers diverted to neighbouring states.
“Leadership requires taking inconvenient steps to secure the future. The closure of the market is a corrective measure to reclaim the state’s economic life,” he said.
“The state commissioned world-renowned experts in 2023 to draft a rebuilding plan for the market’s resurrection — a vision for the 25-hectare site. This is in recognition that the future of global commerce lies in efficient logistics rather than just tiny stalls.
“Therefore, the remodelling efforts align with my manifesto to create planned and sustainable markets, communities, and cities. At this point, leadership beckons on us to take those inconvenient steps to secure the future.”
Following the directive, the Chairman of Onitsha Main Market, Chief Chijioke Okpalaugo, said traders had accepted the government’s redevelopment plan while seeking time to secure their goods.
Okpalaugo said, “After careful consideration of the proposals presented by the state government for the revitalisation of our market, we, the leadership and traders of Onitsha Main Market, officially announce that we have chosen ‘Option 2’ as the preferred path forward.
“We recognise that leadership requires difficult choices, and we accept this path for the ultimate good of Ndị Anambra and the survival of our iconic market. We are committed to the vision of a planned, sustainable, and accessible market that can once again compete on a global stage.”
However, IPOB, in a statement issued on Friday by its spokesman, Emma Powerful, said the decision to shut the market and threaten further sanctions against traders would not be tolerated.
The statement read in part: “The Indigenous People of Biafra, under the resolute and prophetic leadership of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, hereby declares a Biafra-wide solidarity strike — a complete lockdown of all economic activities across Igboland and wider Biafran territories — on Monday, February 2, 2026.
“This total shutdown across Biafraland is a direct, peaceful, and unified response to the tyrannical actions of Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo, who has shut down the Onitsha Main Market for one week and threatened further month-long closures, revocation of land ownership, demolition, and punitive repurposing if traders continue their legitimate observance of Monday sit-at-home in solidarity with our unjustly imprisoned leader.
“This strike is not enforcement; it is a voluntary, collective expression of outrage and solidarity with the hardworking traders of Onitsha, whose livelihoods are now under direct assault by a governor who has chosen to act as an enforcer for anti-Biafran interests rather than a servant of his people.”
The group further said, “Soludo’s closure of Africa’s largest market, coupled with his reckless threats to revoke allocations and rebuild in ‘public interest,’ is economic warfare against Biafrans. It is designed to break the spirit of peaceful civil disobedience that has highlighted the injustice of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s continued detention despite sham proceedings.”
IPOB stated that the Monday sit-at-home originated as a peaceful protest demanding the unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu, adding, “Soludo’s escalation only exposes his desperation to provoke confrontation at a time when Biafra’s international profile is rising and diplomatic efforts are gaining traction.”
Calling on residents of the region, the group said, “On Monday, February 2, 2026, we call on all Biafrans — traders, transporters, banks, schools, civil servants, and every sector across Anambra, Abia, Imo, Enugu, Ebonyi, and beyond — to observe this solidarity strike peacefully.
“Remain indoors, refrain from all commercial and public activities, and demonstrate to the world our disciplined resolve. This is not about disruption for its own sake; it is about standing with Onitsha traders who are being punished for demanding justice and reaffirming that no governor can coerce free citizens into abandoning their rights or their solidarity.
“Soludo’s war on Onitsha traders is a war on all Biafrans. This strike will send a clear message: Touch one, touch all. Our leader’s prophecy endures — Biafra’s liberation is near, and no amount of intimidation will stop it.”
