IPOB Fires Back at Soludo Over Closure of Onitsha Main Market Shops

• IPOB has criticised the Anambra State Government over the sealing of shops at Onitsha Main Market, describing the action as authoritarian and counterproductive.

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has expressed strong opposition to the reported sealing of shops at the Onitsha Main Market by the Anambra State Government, describing the action as reckless, authoritarian, and harmful to public trust.

In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, IPOB said it received credible reports that the administration of Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo had begun sealing shops in enforcement of an earlier threat against traders who failed to open their businesses on Mondays.

The group described the move as deeply troubling, stressing that its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has repeatedly and publicly called for an end to sit-at-home actions and the violent enforcement of such measures by any individual or group. IPOB maintained that where sit-at-home is observed, it is a voluntary expression of solidarity by citizens protesting Kanu’s continued detention, not an act of coercion or intimidation.

IPOB argued that societal behaviour cannot be changed overnight through threats or punitive actions, noting that citizens act based on lived experiences, fears, and memories of past injustices. The group said sealing shops because traders did not open on a particular day amounts to collective punishment rather than governance.

Drawing an analogy, IPOB said even under a basic landlord-tenant relationship, a landlord cannot lawfully lock out a tenant for failing to occupy a property on a specific day, adding that a governor, as a trustee of public authority, has no right to seal shops belonging to citizens who have committed no crime.

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The group warned that intimidation and economic sanctions would not restore normalcy but could instead heighten tension and deepen mistrust between the government and the people.

IPOB called on Governor Soludo to immediately reverse the action and unseal all affected shops, urging him to adopt leadership rooted in patience, persuasion, justice, and respect for citizens’ rights. It also described it as disappointing that an Igbo governor would employ tactics it likened to the economic intimidation historically experienced by Igbo people in other parts of the country.

Reaffirming its commitment to peace, lawful conduct, and a negotiated political solution, IPOB cautioned authorities against actions capable of provoking public unrest, urging restraint, wisdom, and adherence to the rule of law.