By CHARLES IWUOHA

The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) has strongly condemned the ongoing closure of the Onitsha Main Market, describing the action as punitive and detrimental to the livelihoods of thousands of traders and residents.

The market was shut following a directive by the Anambra State Government under Governor Professor Chukwuma Soludo, as part of efforts to enforce compliance with the state’s position against the Monday sit-at-home order.

In a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer of the Committee, Comrade Onyibe, Jeremiah, and made available to our Correspondent in Abakaliki, the human rights group described the closure as a heavy-handed approach that unfairly targets traders who are already victims of the prevailing insecurity in the state.

“As the gates of the Onitsha Main Market remain locked, the government is effectively punishing the very people it is constitutionally bound to protect,” the statement said.

“Forcing traders to choose between their personal safety and their right to earn a living, under threats of prolonged closure or expulsion, amounts to a violation of fundamental human rights and economic freedoms guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution.”

The CDHR emphasized that traders should not be blamed for the security challenges in Anambra State, noting that they are victims rather than perpetrators.

According to the group, ensuring security remains the primary responsibility of the state and its security agencies, not unarmed civilians.

It warned that asking traders to resume business without adequate and visible security presence exposes them to unnecessary risks.

The organization further described the shutdown of the Onitsha Main Market widely regarded as the largest market in West Africa as an act of economic sabotage, with far-reaching consequences for families, businesses, and regional supply chains.

“Closing the market deepens poverty, disrupts commerce across the Southeast, and worsens the economic hardship already faced by citizens,” the statement added.

The CDHR therefore called on Governor Soludo to immediately order the reopening of the market, deploy adequate security within and around the market, and refrain from rhetoric that places blame on law-abiding citizens for the actions of non-state actors.

The group stressed that sustainable security can only be achieved through empathy, strategic planning, and effective protection of citizens, warning that, a state cannot be secured by starving its economic heartbeat.