Ejimakor Condemns Deployment of Soldiers to Onitsha Market Closure Protest

Aloy Ejimakor, one of the legal counsel to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, has criticised the deployment of security agents, particularly soldiers, to quell the ongoing #OnitshaMarketClosure protest, describing the move as unconstitutional and dangerous.

In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, Ejimakor said the protest was peaceful and warned that the involvement of military personnel could escalate tensions rather than restore order.

He called for the immediate reversal of the deployment, cautioning that failure to do so could lead to loss of lives.

“If not reversed, it may result in loss of lives which Ndigbo will never forgive,” Ejimakor wrote.

He further stressed that the Igbo people have already endured significant suffering, adding that they have “paid enough in blood and sorrow.”

The protest broke out on Tuesday following the closure of the Onitsha Main Market by the Anambra State Governor, Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo, over the market’s alleged obedience to the Monday sit-at-home order. Armed security agencies were seen patrolling the market and chasing people, a development that triggered the protest.

Eyewitnesses said traders were roaming around the market, while some appealed to the Governor to consider alternative measures to resolve the issue.