After more than N7.6tn loss, Southeast markets Monday sit-at-home fades

After an estimated loss of over N7.6 trillion, commercial activities are gradually returning to the South-East Zone on Mondays, as people are beginning to heed the call of the state Governors and other political leaders in the region to rescind the order, instituted by the Indigenous People of Biafra on August 9, 2021.

This is also as Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra state proactive solution seems to break the over five-year stranglehold of the Monday “sit-at-home” order in the state and South East generally, when he personally took to the streets of Main Market, Onitsha on February 2, 2026 leading to commercial normalcy.

BusinessDay had reported in 2025 that the South East region of Nigeria had suffered a staggering loss estimated at over ₦7.6 trillion in investments and business activity between 2021 and early 2025 due to the “sit-at-home” orders. The report said this enforcement had caused massive economic shutdowns, hundreds of deaths, the migration of businesses, and a severe reduction in regional development. The report also pointed to Imo and Anambra states as the hardest hit by these economic disruptions and violence.

The sit-at-home order was initiated by IPOB as a protest to demand the release of Nnamdi Kanu, their leader, who was arrested and extradited from Kenya in June 2021.

For about five years now, when the sit-at-home on Mondays started in the South East geo-political zone, its intensity has varied from one state to another. Whereas some states experience a complete lockdown, in some others, there is a mild observance in some others.

Adherence to the order crippled the region’s economy.

BusinessDay checks on Monday, March 16, 2026, revealed that activities are gradually returning to most towns in the South-East.

In Imo, the Monday sit-at-home order is gradually phasing out in the State.

In the Owerri Federal Constituency, comprising of Owerri Municipality, which is the capital territory, Owerri North and Owerri West Local Government Areas, Monday sit at home is almost dead, as commercial buses and other road users troop out on Mondays to attend to their businesses.

Shop owners have continued to open for businesses in recent times undisturbed and without any harassment or disturbances.

Government workers and private sector workers go to their areas of work without anybody or any group of persons molesting them.

Major markets like Alaba International Market, Naze Owerri, Douglas Road Market, Relief Market, Egbu Road, World Bank Market at New Owerri, Timber Market, Naze, among others, are open on Mondays.

In the villages and in the urban and semi-urban areas, both secondary school and primary school pupils are seen on Mondays going to their schools unhindered.

In Mbaise, comprising Aboh, Ahiazu and Ezinihitte Local Government Areas, where Monday sit at home used to be seriously observed. Recent checks revealed that the sit-at-home is gradually dying as the vehicular movement has increased.

However, the situation is quite different in Orlu, where people still scarcely open their businesses on Mondays.

Anthony Opara, a resident of Orlu town, told BusinessDay that many people are still scared and so do not open for business on Mondays.

The situation is almost the same in Okigwe. “On Mondays, if you go to the motor parks in Owerri, you may not see many buses loading and heading to Okigwe and Orlu on Mondays, because the Monday sit-at-home is still observed with fear” Reuben Uzoma said in a telephone chat.

In Anambra State, markets, schools and offices in Awka, Onitsha, Nnewi, Ekwulobia and surrounding communities have since recorded substantial turnout on Mondays.

Transport unions, led by Anthony Okwugo and Vincent Ukwuoma, also resolved during a meeting with the Ministry of Transport in Awka to operate fully on Mondays, pledging to convey passengers without interruption.

The observance of the exercise in Enugu has continued in some parts of Enugu State, but not within the capital city. This is evident in the low public transport activities, particularly those that involve interstate.

The only reason is that despite the assurances of the state government, people are still afraid.

Governor Peter Mbah’s administration had waged a serious war against Sit-At-Home promoters upon its take-off. Many residents have continued to obey the order on Mondays out of fear of attacks from IPOB enforcers.

Up till now, the Sit-At-Home on Mondays has continued to affect workers, traders, and private companies alike as people are not ready to risk the intense violence and often lethal consequences associated with the flouting of the sit-at-home.

Recall that Governor Mbah organised town-hall (meetings), where he spoke directly to the people, urging them to understand the economic haemorrhage the state was suffering due to business disruptions on Mondays.

Initially, with his message of reassurance and increased security, people regained confidence and gradually began to work on Mondays.

Unlike other South East states, Ebonyi has not been observing the Sit-At-Home order, but it still suffers the consequences, as residents of the state intending to do business in any of the sister states would be unable to do so due to the lockdown.

In Ebonyi, people move freely every Monday. Markets are open, schools function, filling stations operate, and there is both human and vehicular movement within the state. It was gathered that the only major disruption in recent years occurred on the day the judgment that led Nnamdi Kanu to prison was delivered.

“That was the day I can clearly say there was a Sit-At-Home, especially in the rural areas. I travelled from Afikpo to Uburu that day, and there was virtually no vehicular movement. Shops were locked, and major junctions were deserted,” a resident said.

A trader, who frequently visits the International Market to restock goods, confirmed that Monday trading activities have normalised.

“Since the cancellation of the Monday sit-at-home in Anambra, I go to the market on Mondays without fear. Shops are open now. I buy what I want and return peacefully,” she said.

Similarly, Vivian Njoku, a clothing material seller, described the declaration by Anambra State Governor against the sit-at-home order as a welcome development, though she admitted lingering fear.

“The governor’s declaration is good, but I am still afraid of travelling to Anambra to buy materials,” she said.

Across Abakaliki, capital of Ebonyi State, and other urban centres indicate that markets, schools, banks and fuel stations operate normally on Mondays, with commercial transporters plying major routes.

Residents maintained that sustained security presence and consistent government messaging have contributed to stabilising the situation in Ebonyi, allowing economic and social activities to continue uninterrupted compared to other parts of the zone.

The situation in Abia is different as the sit-at-home order is still being observed in Aba, the commercial hub of the State, but not observed in Umuahia, the seat of government.

Since the inception of the “Sit-at-home order, by IPOB, residents of Umuahia for over 5-years, has not obeyed the order, even though Nnamdi Kanu is from Umuahia, yet his kinsmen and other residents of the city have continued to defy the order

Every Monday, people go about their businesses. Civil servants also resume at their duty posts, Ikokwu Nna, a resident, noted.

Also Business people go about their businesses. Commercial bus and tricycle operators also operate on Mondays in Umuahia.

In Aba, the touted IPOB’s vacation order is yet to change things in the commercial city. Major markets in Aba, including Ariaria International Market, Eziukwu Market, Shopping Centre and Ahia Ohuru, have remained empty on Mondays.

Although the gates of the markets are always open on Mondays, traders and buyers stay away from the markets.

Civil servants, who have not reported for duty since the Monday sit-at-home began in August 2021, continued to shun offices. Also, motor parks, commercial banks, and schools are still closed on Mondays. Some residents attributed the non-compliance to the vacation order to contradictory statements from two different groups within IPOB. A group wearing IPOB clothing and displaying IPOB flags on Sunday, February 8, 2026, announced the cancellation of the long-standing Monday sit-at-home directive across the South-East.

The group announced in a video that went viral, stating that all markets, schools, businesses and workplaces are to resume normal activities from Monday, February 9, 2026, without fear or intimidation. According to the group, the decision followed what it described as a direct instruction from Nnamdi Kanu, ordering the suspension of the weekly sit-at-home action. The group appealed to residents of the region to return fully to their daily routines, assuring them that it was now safe to do so.

“This decision is meant to restore normal economic, educational and social life in the region,” the speaker said in the video, urging traders to open their shops, students to return to school and workers to report to their places of duty without fear.

Reacting to the development, the IPOB distanced itself from the group.

Emma Powerful, the IPOB spokesperson, denied any knowledge of the group, describing its members as criminals allegedly recruited by Simon Ekpa to destabilise the South-East.

“We don’t know them. IPOB does not have such people. They are criminals recruited by infiltrator Simon Ekpa,” Powerful said.

He added that IPOB completely dissociates itself from any criminal organisation involved in killings, abductions and the destruction of lives and property in the region.

Francis Ogbonna, a shoe dealer in Ariaria International Market, said that IPOB has not called for the cancellation of the sit-at-home order.

According to him, “If your father is in detention, any day he is to appear in court, will you open your shop?” he queried.

Kalu Ike, a trader in Ahia Ohuru, said that it would take more than a directive to end the Monday Sit-At-Home order in Aba. According to him, Nnamdi Kanu is the only person who can stop the order.

To intensify their call for the release of Nnamdi Kanu, some of his supporters in Aba, led by Omoyele Sowore, on March 12, 2026, carried out a peaceful protest in Aba to seek for his release

The protest took place around the busy Ariaria International Market, one of the largest commercial hubs in‌ the South-East Zone of Nigeria.

The protesters moved through sections of the market carrying banners and chanting solidarity slogans as they called for the freedom of the leader of IPOB.

Indications are high that businesses that fled from the South-East may be waiting for the Sit-At-Home to be finally buried for them to flood back to the region.

Background:

BusinessDay investigations in 2025 said that, beyond the more than ₦7.6 trillion loss, daily economic activity is crippled, with some estimates suggesting transporters alone lose over ₦10 billion per day.

The region has also seen an all-time low in investment, with businesses relocating and investors leaving due to instability. Loss of lives has been terrifying as over 700 people were killed by 2025 in violence related to the enforcement of the order, creating an atmosphere of fear.

Schools and healthcare services have also been regularly closed, crippling, disrupting education, and limiting access to medical care.

Above all, there has been the destruction of small businesses, the hallmark of the eastern region, as the economy, which thrives on micro-enterprises and informal trade, has suffered severely due to consistent Monday shutdowns. These seem to create hopes and huge expectations of the end of the Sit-At-Home order.