On March 17, 2024, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, the governor of Anambra State, would have served two terms in office.
His major concern over the past two years has been security. The problem existed before he took office because under Chief Willie Obiano’s second administration, gunmen began using secession as a cover for their operations.
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) launched the Monday sit-at-home in 2020 as a form of civil disobedience over the detention and extradition of their leader, Kenyan Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
The South-East’s economy has been severely damaged by the exercise, and many well-meaning residents of the area are pleading for it to halt.
This prompted the group to cancel the exercise in 2021, but a split faction of secessionists headed by separatist leader Simon Ekpa, who is headquartered in Finland, insisted on carrying out the drill.
The whole South East zone has remained to be a shadow of itself every Monday for the past three years since IPOB called off the exercise since much of the zone, notably the hinterlands, do not open for business.
Mondays remain a closed day for the majority of Anambra’s companies, banks, and schools, and the few marketplaces that open on government orders seldom ever see merchants.
In the meantime, state security services have stepped up their efforts to protect Monday inhabitants from potential molesters and to reassure them of their safety.
The state governor has been pleading with residents to open their businesses on Mondays through frequent announcements on the state-owned radio station, Anambra State Broadcasting Service (ABS).
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In an effort to increase public trust, CP Aderemi Adeoye, the Commissioner of Police for Anambra, visited Onitsha last Monday to evaluate the state of security and compliance.
Additionally, he spoke with the shuttle drivers who operate along Upper Iweka Road to learn about the difficulties they have in going back to work on Mondays.
Speaking with reporters following the exercise, the Commissioner disclosed that the curfew in Nnewi, Onitsha, and Ogbaru has been removed by the government of Anambra State.
Following frequent attacks around the state, Governor Soludo imposed curfews in a few local government areas, prohibiting the operation of tricycles, shuttle buses, and motorbikes in those regions.
However, Adeoye informed them that the State Government has lifted the curfew and advised people to follow the law, remain watchful, and report any suspicious activity right away to the closest police station or the Command’s Control room.
All state security agencies, including the police, are trying to get things back to normal on Mondays.
On Mondays, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Anambra State sends out its troops to guard citizens and vital infrastructure.
The deployment, according to State Commandant Olatunde Maku, was intended to protect people, property, and important national assets throughout the state.
Operatives were sent to marketplaces, banks, parks, and some schools during the deployment.
Maku stressed that the cops will follow established regulations and behave in a polite, professional, and firm manner.
The public was also urged by the NSCDC to report any suspicious persons or activities. This partnership and ongoing efforts are intended to stimulate the economy and discourage wrongdoing.
Many businesses remained empty in spite of security agency efforts and repeated radio advisories from the administration of Anambra State.
While Eke Awka, the main market in the state capital, opens for business, the majority of vendors do not open, and the market often sees very few customers.
In the same vein, most automobile parks in the state capital run very poorly on Mondays when compared to other days, most visitors do not show up.
Financial institutions have also been monitoring the sit-at-home edict for a long time.
Attacks against state banks have occurred in the early stages of the exercise.
Separatist leader Simon Ekpa had also warned banks in the past to remove Nigerian flags from their buildings as long as they continued to operate in Igboland.
Out of fear that they would become the next target for the rebels, several banks complied with the directive.
There have been disagreements over whether releasing IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, who has been called a prisoner of conscience, will bring peace back to the area.
While some think that his freedom will change things, many others believe that rival separatist Simon Ekpa, who has defied Kanu’s orders with impunity, may be creating an empire that will enable him to challenge Kanu, also known as the Supreme Leader, once he is freed.
