30 Onitsha Shops Sealed, Traders Slammed with N600m Fine Over Monday Closure

Mayor of Onitsha South LGA, Hon Emeka Orji

Traders in Onitsha, the commercial hub of Anambra State, who refused to open their shops last Monday have been fined N20 million each.
Meanwhile, 30 shops that failed to open for business on the day were sealed by the Onitsha South Local Government Area.
Collectively, the affected shop owners are expected to pay a total fine of N600 million for violating the state’s anti–sit-at-home enforcement law.
The fines must be paid before the sealed shops can be reopened.
The penalty is in line with a law enacted by the Anambra State House of Assembly, which stipulates that shop owners or traders who refuse to open their businesses on Mondays will have their shops shut and will be required to pay a fine of N20 million before reopening.
Recall that last Monday, 30 shops were sealed by the Onitsha South Local Government Council for refusing to open for business on the designated day.
Speaking on the development, the Secretary of Onitsha South Local Government Area, Mr. Paul Onuachalla, said the affected shop owners were fined in compliance with the enforcement measures against the sit-at-home order and in accordance with the law enacted by the Anambra State House of Assembly.
“The affected shops are located within Onitsha South Local Government Area. Some were sealed at Bridge Head Market, Ochanja Market, and Progress Market respectively,”
“The shops will remain closed until the appropriate fines are paid. The fine is N20 million per shop, and we are talking about about 30 shops,” Onuachalla added.
He explained that the council spent three weeks carrying out sensitization campaigns across the markets to remind traders of the law and encourage compliance before enforcement began.
“For the past three weeks, we have been sensitizing traders and line chairmen on the provisions of this new law. We also issued reminder notices to ensure that everyone was adequately informed,” .
“Other local government councils had already commenced enforcement of the law, but we deliberately allowed a three-week grace period before beginning enforcement. This was to give traders sufficient time to adjust to the new regulations, especially considering that the sit-at-home practice has been in place for several years now,” he added.
Onuachalla, however, noted that the council has provided an avenue for traders to make representations or offer explanations where there are legitimate reasons for their absence from their shops, such as health-related challenges or other verifiable circumstances.
“However, for those who deliberately chose to close their shops in obedience to the now-moribund sit-at-home order, they must face the consequences of the law,” he insisted.