The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights has condemned Governor Charles Soludo’s closure of Onitsha Main Market, describing it as punitive and a violation of traders’ fundamental rights.

The group faulted remarks attributed to Mr Soludo directing traders to open shops Monday to Saturday or leave Anambra, calling them an attack on economic freedom.

At a press briefing on Monday in Abakaliki, CDHR spokesperson Jerry Onyibe described the action as arbitrary and an infringement on traders’ economic rights.

Mr Onyibe said the government had a duty to maintain law and order, but must act within the law and respect citizens’ human rights.

He noted that the constitution guaranteed the right to livelihood, freedom of movement and protection from arbitrary government actions.

“The traders and business owners are not responsible for insecurity in Anambra. They are victims who have suffered fear, income losses and threats to their lives due to unresolved security challenges,” he said.

He said shutting the market would worsen hardship, deepen poverty and fuel frustration in a state regarded as a South-East commercial hub.

The spokesperson said tackling insecurity should be the government’s priority, stressing that citizens should not be forced to trade under fear without guaranteed safety.

He urged the state government to protect lives and property, engage market unions and civil society, and adopt security strategies that protect rather than punish citizens.

Mr Onyibe also cautioned the governor against rhetoric or actions that could intimidate law-abiding residents or violate their rights.

Onitsha Main Market, one of West Africa’s largest markets, was shut on Monday on the governor’s orders. Economic activities have suffered in recent years due to insecurity, including sit-at-home orders by the proscribed IPOB and criminal violence.

CDHR warned that development could not be achieved by depriving citizens of their means of survival.

“A prosperous Anambra can only be built when security, dignity and human rights are central to governance,” the group said.

(NAN)