The disputed Onitsha Main Market was open, but only a few traders were present early Monday morning. As early as 6 a.m., streets in parts of Anambra State were deserted; vehicular movement was rare on the roads, while school buses were empty of pupils.
The order by Anambra State Governor Prof. Chukwuma Soludo for markets to open on Mondays further aggravated the fragile security situation in the early hours of the day.
However, at about 12 pm, traders started flooding the markets, opening their shops to resume normal business, with a high security presence in and around the markets as police and military vans patrolled the area.
A trader at Emeka Offor Plaza, Mrs Chinyere, who deals in phone accessories, said: “We are happy that Monday trading has commenced. We thank Soludo for making it happen. How can people be trading in other parts of the South East, but here in Anambra, we cannot do the same? We are happy with Soludo.”
Another trader at Lagos Line, Onitsha Main Market, stated that traders signed the attendance register at the clock-in time to show their attendance, as ordered by Soludo.
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