On March 1, 2026, the Anambra State Government deployed bulldozers to dismantle numerous shops at the Onitsha Main Market. While officials declared the structures illegal, affected traders maintained they possessed valid allocation papers and receipts issued by the Onitsha North Local Government Council. Despite these protests, over ten thousand units were destroyed.
Historically significant, the market was expanded post-civil war and became the largest commercial hub in West Africa. Sir Chinedu Nwonu, President of the Onitsha Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ONCCIMA), noted the market’s massive economic influence, with estimated annual trade values between $5 billion and $10 billion. Various groups, including Ohanaeze Ndigbo and UNIEC, had unsuccessfully urged Governor Charles Soludo to halt the destruction.
Four months post-demolition, the site remains undeveloped. Instead of planned reconstruction, the area has been repurposed as a car park and a waste disposal site. Displaced merchants are currently struggling to survive, often conducting business from mobile carts or umbrellas. Many, such as Joseph Eze and Magnus Okoro, report that the loss of their livelihoods has left them in financial ruin, exacerbated by the ongoing rainy season. Critics argue that the government has abandoned its stated plans, leaving former shop owners to face extreme poverty while the land sits empty.
