By Chuks Eke
No fewer than 1,000 shops at the popular Bridgehead drug (Ogbogwu) market, Onitsha, Anambra state were on Monday sealed up by officials of Anambra state government guarded by men of Operation Udo Ga Achi security outfit code-named Agunechemba for allegedly refusing to comply with Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s order to stop sit-at-home on Mondays in the state.
The exercise commenced as early as 2.30 p.m. when the government officials, aided by the security outfit stormed the market and at once started pasting red labels bearing the inscription: ‘Sealed’ on the shops that were under lock and key.
However, the few shops that were open were spared but while the locked shops were being sealed, pandamonium erupted as few traders who were present started making calls to contact those whose shops were being sealed.
All efforts to reach the Chairman of the Ogbogwu market, Chief Chukwuleta Ndubuisi through phone proved abortive as a result of network problem.
President of Ogbaru Main Market Traders Association, Chief Ndubuisi Ochiogu, in a reaction, told newsmen inside his shop at the market that he was satisfied that a combined team of state and Ogbaru Local Government officials who passed through the market during the day on a monitoring exercise, praised the traders for their high level of compliance with the abolition of Monday sit-at-home.
According to Ochiogu, “we open our shops every Monday in compliance with Governor Soludo’s order and more traders have started responding positively in that direction”.
