Over 1,000 shops at the popular Bridgehead Drug Market (Ogbogwu) in Onitsha, Anambra State, were sealed on Monday by officials of the Anambra State Government, supported by the state security unit Operation Udo Ga Achi, known by its code name Agunechemba.
The action reportedly targeted shops that allegedly failed to comply with Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s directive suspending the Monday sit-at-home order in the state.
The enforcement operation began around 2:30 p.m., as government officials, flanked by members of the security outfit, moved through the market, marking closed shops with red labels reading “Sealed.” Shops that remained open were not affected.
Some traders were seen making phone calls to alert shop owners whose businesses were locked and sealed during the exercise.
Efforts to reach the Chairman of the Ogbogwu Market, Chukwuleta Ndubuisi, for comments were unsuccessful due to network issues.
Reacting to the incident, the President of the Ogbaru Main Market Traders Association, Ndubuisi Ochiogu, emphasized that traders have been following the directive to open on Mondays.
According to him, a joint monitoring team from the state government and Ogbaru Local Government had previously visited the market and praised traders for adhering to the order ending the Monday sit-at-home in the state.
“We open our shops every Monday in compliance with Governor Soludo’s order, and more traders have continued to respond positively,” Ochiogu said.
