Nigeria TV Info 

IPOB Sit-at-Home: Tension Mounts as Traders, Soludo Clash Over Monday Shutdown in Anambra

Tension heightened across major commercial centres in Anambra State on Monday following renewed enforcement of the IPOB sit-at-home order, as traders and the state government locked horns over market operations. Many shop owners in Onitsha, Nnewi and Awka stayed away from their businesses amid fears of attacks by hoodlums and reprisals for defying the order.

Governor Charles Soludo, however, insisted that the sit-at-home had no legal backing and continued to cripple the state’s economy. The governor directed security agencies to provide adequate protection for traders willing to open their shops, warning that persistent closure of markets could attract sanctions.

Market leaders disclosed that several traders were torn between obeying the government directive and safeguarding their lives, citing previous incidents of violence linked to sit-at-home enforcement. While IPOB maintained that the action was peaceful and voluntary, residents reported low vehicular movement, partial market activities and heightened security presence in strategic locations.

The standoff has once again exposed the economic and security challenges facing the South-East, with business owners urging both the government and agitators to find a lasting solution that would guarantee safety and restore normal commercial activities.