Counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Barrister Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has criticised the decision of the Anambra State Government to shut down the Onitsha Main Market over traders’ continued observance of the Monday sit-at-home.
Ejiofor argued that the widely referenced sit-at-home directive no longer exists, having been formally cancelled by IPOB, and therefore lacks any legal, moral, or ideological basis.
In a statement titled “On the Closure of the Onitsha Main Market by the Anambra State Government,” the lawyer said his position on the matter has been consistent and remains a matter of public record. He stressed that the sit-at-home order was expressly and unequivocally withdrawn by IPOB, leaving no ambiguity as to its status.
According to him, acts of violence, intimidation, and coercion currently associated with Mondays in parts of the South-East are not sanctioned by IPOB but are criminal activities allegedly carried out by lawless elements. He accused such groups of exploiting fear to enforce a directive that has long ceased to exist.
Ejiofor maintained that these actions amount to criminal conduct rather than political protest or civil disobedience, describing them as a “criminal resurrection of a dead directive.”
The lawyer questioned the rationale behind the government’s decision to close the Onitsha Main Market, warning that the measure amounts to collective punishment of traders and law-abiding citizens who are themselves victims of fear and insecurity.
He urged the Anambra State Government to adopt a more targeted, intelligence-driven security approach aimed at identifying and prosecuting those responsible for violence, rather than shutting down major commercial centres.
According to Ejiofor, policies that fail to distinguish between criminality and legitimate economic activity risk harming innocent citizens while emboldening perpetrators of violence. He reiterated that the Monday sit-at-home has no legitimacy, authority, or justification whatsoever.
