IPOB Statement on the Sealing of Shops at Onitsha Main Market
From our correspondent
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has received credible reports that the Anambra State Government under Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo has commenced the sealing of shops at the Onitsha Main Market, allegedly in execution of earlier threats against traders who did not open their businesses on Mondays.
This action is deeply troubling, reckless, and authoritarian.
Our leader, Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has repeatedly and publicly called for an end to the sit-at-home and the violent enforcement of it by any individual or group. That position has not changed. The sit-at-home, where it occurs, is a voluntary civil expression of solidarity by ordinary people distressed by the continued illegal detention of our leader. It is not a policy of coercion and cannot be reversed through threats, intimidation, or punitive state action.
Governor Soludo, as an economist and public intellectual, should understand that societal behavior does not change overnight through threats or displays of force. Citizens are not automatons; they are shaped by lived experiences, fears, and memories of past injustices.
Sealing the shops of hardworking traders because they did not open on a particular day amounts to collective punishment and does not constitute governance. Even within a basic landlord–tenant relationship, a landlord cannot lawfully lock out a tenant for not occupying the premises on a given day. Such an act would amount to unlawful eviction. It is therefore unacceptable for a state authority to seal shops belonging to citizens who have committed no crime.
IPOB cautions that intimidation, threats, and economic punishment will not restore the normalcy the government claims to seek. Rather, such heavy-handed actions risk heightening tension and deepening mistrust between the government and the people.
We therefore urge Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo to immediately reverse this ill-advised action and unseal all affected shops. Leadership is not about threats or force against one’s own people; it is about patience, persuasion, justice, and respect for the rights and dignity of citizens.
It is particularly disappointing that a governor of Igbo extraction would adopt tactics reminiscent of the economic intimidation and humiliation our people have suffered elsewhere. The duty of an Igbo governor is to protect his people, not to traumatize them with authoritarian measures.
IPOB remains committed to peace, lawful conduct, and a negotiated political solution. We have consistently warned against actions capable of provoking the people. Those entrusted with authority must act with restraint, wisdom, and respect for the rule of law.
SIGNED:
COMRADE EMMA POWERFUL
Spokesperson / Media and Publicity Secretary
Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB
