SHOW ME THE LAW: Lawyer Drags Soludo to Court Over Onitsha Market Closure, Seeks ₦2bn Damages for Traders

By Our Correspondent

A human rights lawyer, Barrister Ikechukwu Obasi, has filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja against the Governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo; the Attorney-General of Anambra State; the Commissioner of Police, Anambra State; and the Inspector-General of Police.
The suit challenges the closure of the Onitsha Main Market and other markets across the state following traders’ continued observance of the Monday sit-at-home.
Filed under the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules, 2009, the suit argues that the market closures violated the traders’ fundamental rights, including personal liberty, freedom from forced labour, human dignity, freedom of movement, freedom of peaceful assembly and association, right to privacy, economic development, and freedom of expression, as guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act (Cap A9) 2011.
Obasi, who is representing Onitsha traders in a public interest litigation, said he became aware of the dispute after watching a viral video in which Governor Soludo directed that markets in Onitsha and across Anambra State must open from Monday to Saturday, warning that traders who failed to comply should leave the state.
“Markets are open Monday to Saturday. If you are not prepared to open your shops Monday to Saturday, then leave Anambra, go elsewhere; period,” the governor was quoted as saying during an unscheduled visit to the Onitsha Main Market on Monday, January 26, 2026.
“So, this market will be shut down for the remainder of this week. It will not be opened tomorrow, it will not be opened on Wednesday, it will not be opened on Thursday, it will not be opened on Friday. It will open again on Monday,” the governor added.
In the suit filed on January 28, 2026, Obasi contended that the governor’s directive amounted to forcing the will of the government on traders, compelling them to conduct their businesses according to a government-imposed timetable rather than their personal choice.
The lawyer further stated that from January 27, 2026, police operatives, acting on the instructions of the state government, enforced the shutdown, leading to civil unrest, unlawful arrests, the use of teargas, and severe economic hardship for traders.
In his affidavit in support of the originating motion, Obasi described the enforcement actions as a gross violation of the traders’ fundamental rights.
He maintained that the voluntary sit-at-home constituted a lawful protest protected under Section 39 of the Nigerian Constitution and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
He argued that the actions of the state government amounted to forced labour, violated human dignity, and unlawfully restricted the traders’ freedom of movement, association, and economic activity.
Consequently, Obasi is asking the court to declare that the governor’s threat to shut down the Onitsha Main Market and traders’ shops as punishment for observing a lawful sit-at-home on January 26, 2026, constitutes a violation of the traders’ rights to personal liberty, peaceful assembly and association, freedom of movement, and economic, social, and cultural development.
He is also seeking:
A declaration that the actual shutdown of the Onitsha Main Market and other shops from January 27, 2026, by the governor and the attorney-general violates the same fundamental rights.
A declaration that the mandatory directive compelling all markets in Anambra State to open from Monday to Saturday or for traders to leave the state amounts to a breach of the traders’ rights to freedom from forced labour, human dignity, personal liberty, privacy, peaceful assembly, and economic development.
A declaration that the enforcement of the shutdown by police operatives violates the traders’ rights to peaceful assembly, association, freedom of movement, and economic development.
A declaration that any continued shutdown of the Onitsha Main Market as a sanction for observing a lawful sit-at-home constitutes a violation of the traders’ fundamental rights.
A declaration that observing a lawful sit-at-home is an exercise of the traders’ fundamental right to peaceful protest and lawful expression, and that any clampdown on such voluntary actions violates their rights to privacy, peaceful protest, and freedom of expression.