The major roads and commercial districts in Anambra State were quiet on Monday as a significant number of residents observed the Monday sit-at-home directive long associated with the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). Despite government efforts to end the practice, banks, schools, parks and transport hubs stood largely shut, and iconic thoroughfares that normally buzz with activity were almost deserted.
The photographs showed sections of the once-bustling Onitsha-Owerri Road, Upper Iweka, and the Onitsha-Awka-Enugu expressway nearly void of vehicles and pedestrian traffic, with occasional clusters of residents lingering on pavements rather than heading to work or markets.
In the Onitsha Main Market, typically one of the busiest commercial hubs in West Africa, traders had resumed operations after a week of closure ordered by the state government. However, this did little to reverse the wider atmosphere of inactivity around the city on Monday.
The state government, led by Governor Chukwuma Soludo, had insisted traders return to business and reject the sit-at-home calls. Last week, authorities shut the Onitsha Main Market for one week after many traders ignored a government directive aimed at normalising commercial activities on Mondays.
Despite the reopening, large-scale commercial engagement was limited across the metropolis on Monday. Roads leading to Ochanja Market were nearly empty, and financial institutions kept their doors closed. In many neighbourhoods, residents chose to remain indoors, citing personal safety concerns or solidarity with the sit-at-home appeal.
Therefore, responding to the spectacle of shuttered streets, the IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, issued a statement describing compliance with the sit-at-home order as “total and overwhelming.” According to Powerful, the action, which he described as peaceful and voluntary, “reflects the deep love, loyalty and resolve of the Biafran people toward Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.”
The recurring sit-at-home practice has long been a source of tension within Anambra and other South-East states, drawing criticism from government officials and business communities who argue it cripples economic activity and undermines livelihoods. Last week, traders protested state measures, including market closures and threats of sanctions, arguing these infringed on their ability to earn income and sustain families.
