Chaos and disbelief swept through the sprawling Onitsha Main Market in the early hours of Sunday as bulldozers deployed by the Onitsha North Local Government Area tore through rows of shops, flattening structures and shattering livelihoods in one sweeping operation.
The demolition, which began around 1:00 a.m., targeted Park 1, Park 2, Park 3, and sections of Bright Street, Johnson Street, and Gwomgworo in Onitsha, Anambra State. By sunrise, the once-bustling commercial nerve centre had been reduced to heaps of broken concrete, twisted roofing sheets, and scattered goods.
Security operatives, including soldiers and personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, barricaded access roads before the operation commenced, effectively locking down the area as heavy machinery moved in. Some traders, anticipating the worst, had dismantled their shops a day earlier and evacuated their wares.
Chairman of the LGA, Anthony Nwora, defended the action, insisting that affected occupants were duly notified. Authorities said a 14-day notice was issued and later extended by another 14 days at the traders’ request, with the final deadline expiring on February 28, 2026. According to the council, the exercise is aimed at reclaiming the market’s original masterplan and restoring order to improve trading activities.
But traders tell a different story.
Some claim they secured a court injunction from the Onitsha High Court directing all parties to maintain the status quo pending a hearing scheduled for March 16. They say they believed the legal move would halt the demolition — only to wake up to bulldozers already at work.
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