Ebonyi traders operating in Anambra State have distanced themselves from any planned protest against the closure of the Onitsha Main Market.

They declared full support for Anambra State Governor Prof. Chukwuma Soludo’s policy requiring full commercial activities on Mondays.

The Ebonyi Town Union in Anambra State issued a statement on the matter through its President-General, Moses Igwe, in Onitsha on Friday.

Igwe urged Ebonyi traders to refrain from any actions that could disrupt public peace or jeopardize their lives and businesses.

He said the Monday business policy introduced by Soludo aims to protect traders’ interests and bolster the state’s economy.

He stressed that repeated market closures only increase financial losses for traders.

He said, “Closing markets every Monday is not helping anyone. It is even more damaging to the traders themselves. Sit-at-home actions would not secure the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.

“Non-indigenes, particularly Ebonyi traders, often bear the brunt whenever protests turn violent. We advise our kinsmen to completely disassociate themselves from any form of demonstration against government policy.

“Ebonyi people are peace-loving, law-abiding residents who have enjoyed a cordial relationship with the Soludo administration.

“Governor Soludo is a brother and a friend to Ebonyians. His government has shown us goodwill.”

Igwe highlighted appointments given to Ebonyi indigenes in the Anambra State government as proof of inclusion.

He also pointed to the construction of a general hospital in Okpoko, an area with a large Ebonyi population, as evidence of the administration’s support.

“Ebonyi indigenes in Okpoko are major beneficiaries of the general hospital built by this administration. No Ebonyi man or woman should go against the directives of a government that has supported us,” he added.

Igwe called on all traders across Anambra State to resume full business operations on Mondays.

He emphasized that economic stability and peaceful coexistence, rather than protests, offer the best path to collective progress.

The Punch reported on Thursday that traders at the Onitsha Main Market and other markets in the state had pledged to end the Monday sit-at-home order.

They declared readiness to resume full activities on Mondays in compliance with Governor Soludo’s directive.

The assurance came during an interactive session with the governor following the closure of the Onitsha Main Market and the prolonged Monday sit-at-home that has affected commercial and economic activities in the South-East.

After the meeting, the Chairman of the Onitsha Main Market, Chijioke Okpalugo, spoke to journalists.

He said traders were prepared to begin Monday operations in support of the governor’s vision of a “One Anambra.”

He appealed for improved security measures to ensure the safety of lives and property.