PG Ogbaru Main Market Appeals to Soludo to Fish Out Those Stoking Crisis, Fear  

President General of Ogbaru Main Marke Chief Ndubuisi Ochiogu and governor of Anambra State Prof Charles Soludo

By Polycarp Ifeanyi, Onitsha

The President General of Ogbaru Main Market in Anambra State, Chief Ndubuisi Ochiogu, has issued a passionate appeal to Governor Chukwuma Soludo, urging him to direct security operatives to identify and apprehend individuals responsible for inciting crisis and fear in the market.

Chief Ochiogu also issued a stern warning to those attempting to link his name with alleged illegal shop seizures, threats of violence, and acts of injustice, demanding they desist immediately.

This call was made in a letter addressed to the Governor, delivered through Ochiogu’s legal counsel, O.I. Onoiribholo, Esq. The letter urged Governor Soludo to disregard a previous petition circulated by some traders titled: “Ogbaru Main Market in Turmoil: Call for Governor Soludo’s Urgent Intervention as Traders Cry Out Over Illegal Shop Seizures, Threats, and Injustice.”

According to Ochiogu, the petition allegedly authored by one Ifeanyi Eziaghala, Ernest Chibuike, and their associates, and circulated on social media in July 2025 via Barr. Cyril Nkemjika is a deliberate attempt to incite unrest and sow fear both within the Ogbaru Main Market and Anambra State at large.

He further stated that the group has threatened to mobilize street urchins for protests aimed at destabilizing and looting the market, even though no trader has expressed interest in protesting. According to him, traders are instead satisfied with the current leadership and ongoing development in the market.

The letter, which was made available to journalists in Onitsha, was also copied to the Commissioner of Police, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) at Okpoko Police Station, the Directorate of State Services (DSS), the Special Adviser to Governor Soludo on Trade and Markets, the Chief of Staff to the Governor, and other relevant authorities.

The letter reads in part:

“Your Excellency, to set the record straight, in 2023, the petitioners—who are also plaintiffs in Suit No. AT/87/23—submitted a petition to the Commissioner of Police, Anambra State, making spurious allegations of unlawful seizure of their shops by our client. The police investigated and found the claims to be false.Despite this, they proceeded to file the suit and later included the State Government as a party. Our client has counterclaimed for defamation and providing false information to the police. This matter is currently pending in court.On June 26, 2025, during a court session, one Hon. Christian Ezenwoke appeared and requested the court’s permission to intervene for a peaceful settlement, which the court granted.”

“Since the inception of this matter in 2023, the second plaintiff, Innocent Ifeanyi Eziaghala, has made several petitions against our client—even to the Anambra State House of Assembly while the suit is still before the court.Ironically, the same Hon. Christian Ezenwoke who appeared in court as a peacemaker is now cited in their latest petition to you, in which they threaten to incite chaos and mobilize street urchins to destabilize Ogbaru Main Market and Anambra State.”

Onoiribholo further stated that the Attorney General of Anambra State and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry are defendants in Suit No. AT/87/2023, adding:“It is a glaring act of bad faith for individuals to petition the Governor—through the very Attorney General with whom they are in litigation—claiming to be law-abiding citizens while threatening protests without awaiting the court’s verdict.”

He urged all parties to await the court’s decision if they truly respect the rule of law. The letter made it clear that Ifeanyi Eziaghala and his associates should be held responsible for any breakdown of law and order in Ogbaru Main Market.

Finally, Ochiogu’s counsel called on law enforcement agencies in Anambra State to place Eziaghala and his group under surveillance and designate them as persons of interest. This, he argued, is necessary to prevent any unlawful activities that could lead to unrest, looting, or disruption of public peace in the market or the state as a whole.