Chaos Erupts in Onitsha Main Market as Traders Clash with Security Agents Over Soludo’s Closure Order

|By Chinwendu Nwani

Chaos engulfed the Onitsha Main Market in Anambra State on Tuesday as traders clashed with security operatives enforcing the closure of the commercial hub ordered by Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo.

The Anambra State Government had shut the market on Monday, citing traders’ continued compliance with the sit-at-home directive imposed by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). Governor Soludo openly questioned why shops remained locked despite what he described as improved peace and stability across the state.

Early Tuesday, security forces, including armoured vehicles and heavily armed police officers, moved into the market to enforce the shutdown. However, tension escalated when traders later trooped to the facility, attempting to force their way into their shops in defiance of the governor’s directive.

Their refusal to vacate the market triggered a confrontation with security operatives, plunging the area into pandemonium. Eyewitness accounts and viral video footage showed traders scrambling for safety as loud gunshots rang out within the market premises.

As of press time, authorities had yet to issue an official statement on possible casualties or arrests, while normal trading activities remained suspended amid heightened security presence.