The Anambra State Government has announced that Onitsha Main Market will reopen on Monday, February 2, 2026, for full economic and commercial activities, assuring traders and residents of adequate security.

The market had been temporarily closed following Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s directive after traders failed to comply with the Monday sit-at-home order issued by a non-state group.

The closure was initially set for one week, with the possibility of extension if compliance was not achieved.

In a statement on Sunday, the Commissioner for Information, Law Mefor, confirmed that the one-week closure had elapsed and directed traders to resume business as usual.

He urged residents to disregard threats from non-state actors and reassured them that security agencies would provide maximum protection. Residents were also encouraged to report any security concerns via the emergency line, 5111.

Civil servants and teachers were reminded that the state’s pro-rata salary system remains in effect:

“No work on Monday means no pay,” the commissioner stressed. Parents were similarly advised to ensure their children attend school on Mondays to avoid sanctions.

The statement read in part:

“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. Residents are assured of adequate security and encouraged to report any concerns to 5111.”

A retired Army General, Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, has been arrested alongside military officers and civilians accused of allegedly planning a forceful overthrow of President Bola Tinubu’s government.

Gana, who hails from Niger State and is the Danmagayaki of Nupe, was detained a week after his son, Lieutenant Colonel Sadiq Ibrahim-Gana, was arrested by military intelligence operatives.

Lieutenant Colonel Ibrahim-Gana, formerly the Commanding Officer of 115 Battalion, Askira, Borno State, is among 35 military officers currently in custody over the alleged coup plot.

“A retired Army General, Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, was also arrested. He is said to be the one who helped the alleged mastermind of the coup, Colonel Alhassan Ma’aji, gain admission into NDA in August 1995.”

“Being Ma’aji’s godfather, they believed he was aware of the plan, although no further links were traced to him,” a military source said.

The source added, “His son, a Lieutenant Colonel, was also arrested, but nothing was traced to him as he was actively fighting Boko Haram in Borno. Many civilians, including mechanics and even a Julius Berger staff, have been detained for allegedly supporting the plot, despite having no knowledge of it.”

Earlier reports also indicated the arrest of Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, a policeman from Taraba State, who is now in the custody of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).

Among the 35 detained officers are: an Army Brigadier General, 2 Colonels, 5 Lieutenant Colonels, 1 Wing Commander (Air Force equivalent of Lieutenant Colonel), 8 Majors, 1 Lieutenant Commander (Navy equivalent of Major), 2 Squadron Leaders (Air Force equivalent of Major), 5 Captains, and a Lieutenant.

Ten non-commissioned officers (NCOs), including a Warrant Officer, 5 Sergeants, 1 Corporal, and 2 Lance Corporals, are also being held.

The detainees come from across the country, including Osun, Bayelsa, Nasarawa, Niger, Katsina, Kaduna, Plateau, Kano, Gombe, Bauchi, Kebbi, Jigawa, Zamfara, Taraba, Yobe, Kogi, Sokoto, and Adamawa States.

SaharaReporters had previously reported in October 2025 that the DIA arrested several military officers in Abuja over an alleged coup plot against President Tinubu.

Despite initial denials from the Defence Headquarters, Monday’s update formally acknowledged that some of the detained officers were investigated for allegedly planning to overthrow the government.

Families of the detained officers have raised concerns about prolonged incommunicado detention, denial of access to lawyers and relatives, and poor detention conditions.

Some officers reportedly fell ill, with two collapsing due to worsening conditions while in custody.

The case has drawn political attention following reports that military operatives raided the Abuja residence of former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, in connection with the investigation.

Sylva denied any involvement and described attempts to link him to the plot as politically motivated.

A human rights lawyer and lead counsel for the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has called on residents of the South-East to disregard what he described as a “fraudulent” sit-at-home order allegedly scheduled for Monday, February 2, 2026, by a faction claiming affiliation with the group.

The directive, earlier announced by IPOB spokesman Emma Powerful, sought to enforce a total regional lockdown in solidarity with traders at the Onitsha Main Market.

Powerful had described the shutdown as a “direct, peaceful, and unified response” to actions by Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, who had ordered the market closed for one week.

In a counter statement released on Saturday, Ejiofor said the source behind the directive, operating under the guise of “Emma Powerful,” had been compromised and was acting contrary to the collective interest of Ndi-Igbo.

He emphasized that IPOB has formally and decisively disowned the false order, urging residents to go about their lawful activities without fear.

The statement read in part:
“Once again, the well-worn theatre of misinformation has opened its curtains, this time with a particularly lazy script and an insultingly predictable cast. Late yesterday, a report was widely circulated alleging that a total lockdown of Ala-Igbo had been ordered under the guise of a sit-at-home directive purportedly issued by ‘Emma Powerful,’ slated for Monday, February 2, 2026.

“Let it be stated clearly, unequivocally, and without ambiguity: this directive is fake, a phantom, a calculated falsehood. Upon careful inquiry and diligent verification, especially considering the delicate and hard-won calm presently returning to our homeland, it became glaringly obvious that the so-called ‘Emma Powerful’ platform has been fatally compromised.” Ejiofor added:

“It has been hijacked by vested interests whose business model thrives on fear, disruption, extortion, and the cynical exploitation of vulnerable communities. The peaceful global movement of the IPOB has formally and decisively disowned this fabricated publication, categorically distancing itself from the false sit-at-home order and directing Ndi-Igbo to go about their lawful and normal activities without fear.

“Going forward, the message from IPOB is unmistakable: any publication attributed to ‘Emma Powerful’ should be treated with extreme suspicion, if not outright contempt. Frankly, one cannot but express astonishment, bordering on disbelief, that at such a critical juncture, when relative peace is cautiously resurfacing in Ala-Igbo, anyone would recklessly circulate information capable of reopening wounds and inviting criminal infiltration. History has taught us, at unbearable cost, what happens when fake directives fall into the hands of violent opportunists masquerading as enforcers.” Ejiofor concluded:

“It is therefore no longer sufficient to merely advise our people to ‘ignore’ publications from this source. The time has come for greater clarity and firmness. The platform known as ‘Emma Powerful,’ in its current corrupted state, has positioned itself as an adversary to Ala-Igbo’s peace, progress, and collective well-being. A masquerade that dances with fire should not be mistaken for a messenger of truth.”

Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, has ordered the immediate remodelling of the Onitsha Main Market, describing the move as a “hard, but necessary” step to secure the future of the commercial hub.

The directive follows the market’s one-week closure.

During his last visit to the market, Soludo lamented that the once-famed “biggest market in West Africa” had deteriorated significantly, calling it “literally dead.”

Addressing traders and stakeholders at the Light House, Awka, on Friday, the governor explained that the decline was exacerbated by decades of poor urban planning and the persistent observance of the Monday sit-at-home order.

Soludo 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 for them. Today, that is gone.”

He noted that the market had been effectively shut for more than 260 days since the Monday sit-at-home ritual began, resulting in billions of naira lost weekly and driving customers to alternative markets in 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. 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,” Soludo added.

He further said, “Therefore, the remodelling efforts align with my manifesto to create planned and sustainable markets and communities and cities. At this point, leadership beckons on us to take those inconvenient steps to secure the future.”

Following the executive directive, the Chairman of the Onitsha Main Market, Chijioke Okpalaugo, confirmed the traders’ support for the government’s vision, while requesting a short period to secure their inventory.

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, we humbly appeal to Governor Soludo to grant us a short grace period. This will allow our members to safely evacuate their goods and wares from the areas designated as illegal structures before the commencement of enforcement and demolition.”

DAILY GAZETTE earlier reported that the closure followed the traders’ refusal to comply with the state government’s directive to disregard the Monday sit-at-home order.

Soludo had warned that the shutdown could be extended if compliance was not achieved, and security agencies had sealed the market to enforce the order.

The governor described the redevelopment as a decisive step in an ongoing effort to reclaim economic life in the South-East, noting that despite assurances of enhanced security and appeals to reopen stalls, many traders had continued to keep their businesses closed.