Tragedy in Onitsha Market – Barrister Ifeanyi Ejiofor Demands Justice for Slain Traders!

Awka, Anambra State  (September 12, 2025)

Barrister Ifeanyi Ejiofor condemns the September 9, 2025, killings of traders in Onitsha Main Market, calling it a “Black Tuesday” that turned a day of economic recovery into tragedy. He recounts how armed members of the Onitsha OCHA Brigade, a state task force meant to maintain order, allegedly gunned down at least three traders who were simply opening their shops to earn a living.

Ejiofor questions the legality of the OCHA Brigade carrying weapons and firing on unarmed civilians, describing the attack as extrajudicial killing. He cites a pattern of past abuses—including the alleged fatal assault of former Onitsha Chamber of Commerce chairman Mr. Akaneme—as evidence of unchecked lawlessness and a government failure to hold perpetrators accountable.

He calls on the Anambra State Government and police to conduct a transparent, independent investigation, punish those responsible, and reform or disband rogue enforcement units. Ejiofor stresses that the sanctity of human life must be restored, warning that silence or inaction would make the state complicit in the tragedy.

Full Text of Barrister Ifeanyi Ejiofor’s Article

MIDWEEK MUSING;

BLACK TUESDAY IN ONITSHA MAIN MARKET: BLOOD ON THE STALLS, THE PRICE OF AVOIDABLE DEATH

Tuesday, ordinarily a day of economic recovery across the South-East, turned into a day of mourning and bitter tears in Onitsha. In a region where Mondays have been forcefully silenced by the infamous and economically destructive “sit-at-home,” Tuesdays usually carry the weight of double expectations, traders, artisans, and parents striving to recover lost earnings, especially in this season of school resumption when families are struggling against the suffocating weight of skyrocketing fees and an economy gasping for breath.

Yet, on this particular Tuesday, September 9, 2025, many innocent traders who left their homes with the resolve to feed their families and secure their children’s future never returned. They waved goodbye in the morning, not knowing that fate, driven not by accident, nor natural disaster, but by human lawlessness, awaited them at the heart of Onitsha Main Market.

Instead of the buzzing hum of commerce, the stalls became drenched in blood. Instead of bargains, there were screams. Instead of profit, there was pain.

Reports confirm that at least three traders were gunned down in cold blood, while some accounts suggest the number could be as high as four. Their crime? None. Their offence? Simply opening their shops and displaying their wares, as every normal trader would. Their executioners? A gang of so-called enforcement agents under the umbrella of the Onitsha OCHA Brigade; a task force ostensibly established to sanitize the city and promote public order, but which, time and again, has descended into a lawless band of terror.

A Mandate Abandoned, a Law Perverted

One critical question begs for an urgent answer: Does the law establishing OCHA Brigade empower them to bear arms, let alone fire live ammunition at unarmed citizens? If not, under whose authority are these misfits brandishing lethal weapons on the streets of Onitsha? If yes, under what warped moral and legal justification can shooting traders at their stalls ever be excused?

Even if one were to accept the lofty rationale of establishing such a task force, nowhere in their mandate is there any license to spill the blood of those they are meant to protect. What happened on Tuesday was not enforcement, it was extrajudicial killing, plain and simple.

A Bloody History of Lawlessness

This is not the first time OCHA Brigade has been caught in the web of brutality. Only recently, Mr. Akaneme, former chairman of the Onitsha Chamber of Commerce, was allegedly brutalized in his home by this same band of lawless state agents, an attack that tragically cut short his life. His death, like many others, remains an open wound, with perpetrators still roaming free, emboldened by impunity.

The cycle is vicious: violence is unleashed, lives are wasted, families are shattered, yet no accountability follows. Anambra cannot afford to continue down this bloodstained path.

The Devaluation of Human Life

When did we, as a people, relegate the sanctity of human life to the background? When did a trader’s life become so cheap that it could be snuffed out in broad daylight without consequence? When did the market, once a symbol of Igbo resilience and enterprise become a slaughter ground under the boots of state-backed thugs?

These deaths are not mere statistics. Behind each body lies a family now thrown into despair: children who will never again see the parent who left home that morning, spouses left in anguish, and communities left to mourn.

A Call for Justice and Oversight

For years, I have advocated for the Anambra State Government to establish a special independent monitoring committee to scrutinize the activities of these enforcement task forces. Their excesses must be checked, and the bad eggs ruthlessly fished out. Otherwise, noble intentions will continue to be polluted by the lawless actions of a few, costing innocent lives in the process.

The ongoing investigation announced by the Anambra State Police Command must not be another smokescreen. It must be open, transparent, and conclusive. The findings must be made public, and those responsible for this heinous massacre must face justice without delay. Anything short of this would be complicity.

Enough is Enough

Our people cannot continue to pay with their blood for the incompetence and recklessness of those tasked with ensuring their safety. Governance is not about setting up armed gangs; it is about protecting life and property, upholding the rule of law, and preserving the dignity of citizens.

The traders of Onitsha Main Market were not criminals. They were fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters, whose only desire was to earn a living. Their killing is a stain on the conscience of Anambra State, and history will not forgive silence in the face of such barbarity.

The blood spilled in Onitsha is crying for justice. And until justice is served, Anambra’s conscience cannot rest.