Traffic was brought to a standstill on Wednesday as protesters blocked the Onitsha Head Bridge in Anambra State over the continued closure of the Onitsha Main Market.
The protest followed a directive by Governor Chukwuma Soludo ordering the temporary shutdown of the market.
Videos shared by the African Democratic Congress showed demonstrators barricading key access points to the bridge while chanting slogans such as, “No way in, no way out. Onitsha to Asaba blocked. Stand till!”
While many of the protesters stood their ground, others were seen running as the situation escalated.
The protest came days after the governor ordered a one-week closure of the Onitsha Main Market on Monday.
Traders at the market had earlier taken to the streets on Tuesday, displaying placards and singing solidarity songs. Some of the chants, captured in videos circulating online, included expressions of support for the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.
Other slogans heard during the protest included, “Soludo, we no go gree o” and “Say no to Monday.”
The Onitsha Head Bridge serves as a major link between Anambra and Delta states, and the blockade reportedly disrupted movement in and out of the state.