The conflict over the Monday sit-at-home order has taken a frightening turn in Anambra State.
A casket was placed at the front of the White House, the main office of the Onitsha Main Market, by known criminals on Sunday night.
Only a few hours prior to the scheduled market reopening following Governor Chukwuma Soludo's recent order, this frightening revelation occurred.
The message behind the coffin seems to be a dire warning to anyone considering starting business today, February 2.
News of the purported resignation of Chijioke Okpalaugo, the Chairman of the Onitsha Main Market, broke shortly after the event.
Traders speculate that his departure is connected to the governor's reopening order, even though there is no official confirmation yet.
Recalling the tragic incident of Francis Enibe, a fellow market leader who was kidnapped on a Monday two years ago and has never been located, many think Okpalaugo is hesitant to put his life on the line.
Onitsha's atmosphere is now quite ghostly. Traders and their apprentices have remained inside in defiance of the government's decree.
One businessman said that he could not put his employees' lives at risk because he was afraid of the repercussions from those enforcing the stay-at-home order.
According to Okechukwu Okafor, a local merchant, Governor Soludo should not remain in the security of Awka and issue instructions.
Last week, he traveled here in person to close the market. He ought to return to Onitsha and reassure us face-to-face about our safety if he wants us to open.
Currently, the commercial center is still in a state of paralysis, with no traffic or pedestrian traffic, which has brought the state's economy to a complete halt.
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