The Anambra State Government has disclosed that the state loses about N8 billion while the entire South-East region loses about N19.6 billion every week due to the persistent Monday sit-at-home.
The state Commissioner for Information, Law Mefor, disclosed this development in a press statement he issued on Monday.
Mefor said that, as a result, the state government has shut the Onitsha Main Market for one week following traders’ failure to comply with the state government’s directive to disregard the Monday sit-at-home order.
The commissioner said the market will remain shut from Monday, January 26, 2026, to Saturday, January 31, 2026, warning the general public to stay away from the Main Market during this period to avoid any unpleasant encounters with security personnel already deployed to the area.
The statement partly read, “The Government of Anambra State hereby informs the general public that Onitsha Main Market will remain closed from today, Monday, January 26, 2026, to Saturday, January 31, 2026. The market will reopen for business on Monday, February 2, 2026.
“The closure is due to non-compliance with the government’s directive to end the Monday Sit-at-Home, which costs the state up to N8 billion as part of N19.6 billion in the South East every week, while disrupting work and economic activities, leaving the state haemorrhaging.
“Traders are further warned that if they are not ready to resume trading on Monday, February 2, 2026, and indeed every other Monday, the market will face a one-month closure next Monday. The general public is also advised to stay away from the Main Market during this period to avoid any unpleasant encounters with security personnel already deployed to the area.
“Furthermore, all other markets in Anambra State remain open and are expected to operate on Mondays. Any market found closed on Mondays will face a similar closure. The government assures traders and citizens alike of maximum security and encourages them to report security breaches to 5111. Thank you for the much-anticipated cooperation.”
PUNCH Online reports that the Monday sit-at-home order in the South-East was initially declared in August 2021 by the Indigenous People of Biafra following the arrest and detention of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
The directive was intended to pressure the Federal Government to release Kanu, with residents instructed to stay indoors and businesses shut every Monday.
Although IPOB later announced the suspension of the sit-at-home order, compliance has persisted in many parts of the region due largely to fear of attacks, intimidation and sporadic violence by criminal elements enforcing the order.
Over the years, the continued observance has severely disrupted commercial activities, education, transportation and public services across the South-East, prompting repeated condemnations by state governments, traditional rulers and business groups.