Following a high-stakes meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa on February 11, 2026, Anambra State Governor Prof. Chukwuma Soludo officially signaled a historic economic recovery for the Southeast. The governor attributed the successful reopening of the region’s commercial engines—specifically on Mondays—to a combination of decisive security crackdowns and the formal termination of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) sit-at-home directive.
For nearly five years, the region had forfeited approximately 20% of its productive week every Monday, a cycle of disruption that Soludo described as having “humongous” social and economic costs.
1. Security Milestones: Dismantling the Shadow Network
Soludo’s administration has pivoted from defensive policing to offensive community-based security.
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Criminal Camps: The governor revealed that over 62 criminal camps have been dismantled across Anambra State since he took office in 2022.
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Agunechemba Vigilante: Central to this recovery is the Agunechemba, a state-backed vigilante outfit that works alongside federal forces to provide “last-mile” security in local communities.
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Operation Udo Ga-Achi: Launched under the Anambra Homeland Security Law 2025, this operation utilizes AI-powered surveillance, command-and-control centers, and community grants to stamp out kidnapping and touting.
2. The Onitsha Rebound: 45,000 Shops Reopen
The litmus test for this new era was the Onitsha Main Market, one of West Africa’s largest trading hubs.
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Return of Commercial Life: On Monday, February 2, 2026, over 45,000 shops reopened for business. By the following Monday, foot traffic surged to an estimated 100,000 people, with traders reportedly in “jubilation.”
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Market Regeneration: The state government has announced plans to reclaim parking spaces from illegal stalls and modernize the market’s infrastructure to reposition it as a leading continental trade center.
3. The Economic Impact of “Lost Mondays” (2021–2025)
The governor provided a sobering look at the damage caused by half a decade of enforced shutdowns:
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Productivity Leakage: With 52 Mondays in a year, the region essentially lost an entire year of productivity every five years.
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Capital Flight: Persistent instability forced major investors to divert businesses to other regions of Nigeria or neighboring countries.
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Education Deficit: Schools outside the capital cities were often under “lock and key,” severely disrupting the academic calendar for millions of students.
Anambra Security & Trade Snapshot (Feb 2026)
“Every Monday lost is about 20 per cent of the work week. We decided that this year must be an end. Enough is enough… I’m happy that so far we are taking back our region.” — Governor Charles Soludo, February 2026.
