Anambra security update: Governor Soludo says 62 criminal camps dismantled, markets reopen, and South-East sit-at-home directive ended

Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State has declared that his administration has made the state one of the safest in Nigeria, following extensive operations against criminality.

Also read: Onitsha Main Market Reopens as Soludo Assures Security

Speaking to State House correspondents on Wednesday after a closed-door meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Soludo said his government had dismantled 62 criminal camps since he assumed office.

“So far since I came into office, about 62 criminal camps have been dismantled in Anambra, and we’re not resting, not one second. I will pride ourselves to be the safest, if not modestly, one of the safest states in the country,” he said.

When asked about the fate of arrested criminals, the governor declined to provide details but stressed that any attempts to resettle in the state would be decisively dealt with.

Soludo also addressed the end of the sit-at-home directive enforced by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), which paralysed economic activity in the South-East for nearly five years. He described the resumption of normal activities as a major relief for the region.

“Even more recently, these criminals have held the South-East region hostage. For five years, every Monday there was a debilitating sit-at-home.

We decided that this year must be an end. Enough is enough, and I’m happy that so far, we’re taking back our region. We’re taking back our state,” he said.

According to reports, enforcement of the directive between 2021 and 2025 was linked to at least 776 deaths and 332 violent incidents across the South-East, with economic losses estimated at N7.6tn.

IPOB officially cancelled the directive on February 8, 2026, following a directive from its leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

Soludo noted that the reopening of markets, including Onitsha Main Market—the largest in West Africa with more than 45,000 shops—has brought renewed economic activity.

He recounted witnessing tens of thousands of traders and shoppers celebrating the return of normalcy.

“We’re going to regenerate the market because it’s been run down so badly. All the parking lots there, they took them over and built up shops. We’re going to bring life back again there and restore its pride of place as the premier market in West Africa,” he said.

The governor also highlighted the positive impact on public life during the 2025 Yuletide holidays, describing heavy traffic and bustling activity across the state as a “celebration of the return of security of lives and properties back again in the region.”

Also read: IPOB Orders Onitsha Market Open Despite Soludo Closure

Soludo clarified that his visit to President Tinubu was not solely about security but included other matters requiring discussion at the federal level.