January 31, 2026 | SUNTV Global Channel
Human rights lawyer, Barrister Ikechukwu Obasi, has filed a landmark lawsuit against the Anambra State Government and the Police over the controversial shutdown of Onitsha Main Market and other markets in the state, demanding ₦2 billion in damages.
The suit, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, names Governor Chukwuma Soludo, the Attorney General of Anambra State, the Commissioner of Police, and the Inspector General of Police as respondents. Obasi argues that the closure of the markets, triggered by traders’ continued observance of the Monday sit-at-home, violates fundamental human rights guaranteed under the Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
According to the suit, the governor’s directive to open all markets from Monday to Saturday — with a warning that traders who refuse must leave the state — forced the will of the government on the traders, undermining their right to choose how to operate their businesses.
“Markets are open Monday to Saturday. If you are not prepared to open your shops Monday to Saturday, then leave Anambra, go elsewhere; period,” Governor Soludo stated during a surprise visit to Onitsha Main Market on January 26, 2026.
Obasi claims that police officers, acting under the state government’s orders, enforced the shutdown starting January 27, leading to unlawful arrests, teargassing, civil unrest, and severe economic hardship for traders.
In the suit filed under the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules 2009, Obasi contends that the shutdown violates traders’ rights to personal liberty, freedom from forced labour, human dignity, freedom of movement, peaceful assembly and association, economic development, and lawful expression. He emphasizes that the voluntary sit-at-home is a lawful protest protected under Section 39 of the Nigerian Constitution and Article 9 of the African Charter.
Obasi is seeking several declarations from the court, including:
- That the governor’s threat to shut down markets as a sanction for observing a lawful sit-at-home amounts to a violation of fundamental rights.
- That the actual shutdown of markets by government order and police enforcement infringes on traders’ rights to assembly, association, economic development, and personal liberty.
- That compelling markets to operate on a fixed schedule or face sanctions constitutes forced labour and breaches human dignity.
- That the enforcement of the shutdown by police officers violates constitutional and human rights protections.
In addition to the declarations, Obasi is requesting:
- An injunction restraining the governor, attorney general, and police from enforcing the shutdown.
- ₦2 billion in damages against Governor Soludo for orchestrating the shutdown.
- ₦50 million in damages against the Commissioner of Police, the IGP, and officers for their role in violating traders’ fundamental rights.
In his written submission, Obasi cited precedent establishing that general damages are appropriate where government actions cause economic and psychological harm to citizens.
The case is set to test the balance between government authority and citizens’ constitutional rights in the face of civil protest, potentially setting a significant precedent for public interest litigation in Nigeria.
