Onitsha Market Resumes Activities Today
Normal trading activities returned to Onitsha Main Market on Monday as many traders opened their shops despite weeks of tension linked to the Monday sit-at-home.
The development followed the Anambra State Government’s insistence that economic life must fully resume in the commercial hub.
The reopening came days after Governor Chukwuma Soludo ordered a one-week shutdown of the market for defying government directives.
The closure, enforced by security agencies, was meant to compel traders to resume business on Mondays and end the long-running disruption blamed for heavy economic losses.
By mid-morning, business had picked up inside the market, with more than two-thirds of shops open across major lines such as Lagos Line, Ado Line, Mandela Line and White House Line.
Traders were seen attending to customers as security operatives maintained a strong presence to prevent unrest.
Outside the market, however, the wider city remained subdued. Key roads and motor parks recorded little activity, even as reports emerged that thousands of shops had been marked for demolition as part of planned redevelopment efforts.
