Tension is brewing in Onitsha, Anambra State, as over 100 traders from the Udoka Line Section of the popular Ogbo-Ogwu Drug Market have dragged the market’s Caretaker Committee, led by Mr. Chukwulota Ndubuisi, before the Onitsha High Court over what they described as the “unlawful closure” of their shops.
The traders, who appeared in court on Tuesday for a pre-trial hearing, are demanding the enforcement of their fundamental rights to property, personal liberty, and dignity, following the closure of their shops since August 2024.
They are also seeking N5 billion in compensatory damages from the market leadership for the alleged illegal closure and the carting away of their goods.
In the suit Udoka Line Traders vs. Ogbo-Ogwu Caretaker Committee the applicants are asking the court to declare that the action of the caretaker leadership was illegal, unconstitutional, and a violation of Sections 34 and 35 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), as well as Articles 5, 6, and 23 of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act.
The traders further prayed for a perpetual injunction restraining the committee from future closure of their section of the market.
After the pre-trial briefing, the court adjourned the case for hearing on February 3, 8, 12, 19, 23, and 26, 2026.
Traders Decry Hardship, Seek Soludo’s Intervention
Speaking with South-East Punch after the court session, the spokesperson of the Udoka Line traders, Mr. Emmanuel Ozoemenam, expressed deep frustration over their prolonged ordeal, lamenting that many traders have been pushed into poverty since the closure.
He appealed to Governor Chukwuma Soludo to urgently intervene, accusing the caretaker leadership of high-handedness and intimidation.
“As we speak, we are being mocked and harassed daily by the leadership of the market. The caretaker committee chairman, sometime in August 2024, entered the Udoka Line Section and sealed off our shops over flimsy and unverifiable reasons. This happened even before the NAFDAC raid,” Ozoemenam said.
He added that several attempts by prominent figures, including the Speaker of the Anambra State House of Assembly, to resolve the crisis amicably failed, forcing the traders to seek judicial redress.
“Over 130 of us trading in Udoka Line are financially displaced. Our lives are no longer the same. Hunger and hardship have become part of our daily existence. The closure has crippled our businesses and families,” he lamented.
Ozoemenam also warned that the traders’ growing frustration could spill into the political arena, threatening to influence voting patterns ahead of the November 8, 2025 governorship election in the state.
“If nothing is done, the anger and confusion may trigger not just us but other traders in Onitsha markets to work against the governor’s reelection bid,” he cautioned.
The traders further called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene and ensure justice, describing the situation as a “clear case of abuse of power and economic victimisation.”
Chairman Declines Comment
Efforts to obtain a response from the Caretaker Committee Chairman, Mr. Chukwulota Ndubuisi, who was sighted at the court premises, proved abortive as he declined to speak to journalists.
The case, which has drawn attention from both market stakeholders and human rights advocates, is expected to set a major precedent on the limits of market leadership authority and the protection of traders’ constitutional rights in Nigeria’s commercial hubs.
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