Key Points

• South-East business shutdown continues due to lingering fears.

• Residents say uncertainty keeps many businesses closed.

• Traders urge action to end the South-East business shutdown.

The first workday of the week still looks different from the rest in major towns in the South-East. Business is still slow on Mondays in cities like Aba, Okigwe, Onitsha, Nnewi, and a few new urban centres. Many banks still don’t let people in, and some traders and shop owners only open their doors reluctantly, usually around noon. Only the capitals of the states are now seeing anything close to a full return to normal business life.

People in the area say it is still recovering from years of attacks, fear, and uncertainty that made things unstable. Even though security has gotten better in some parts of the region, many communities still don’t feel completely safe.

Security scars make it hard for businesses to get back on their feet

People who live in communities in Imo State that have recently been freed say they are still getting used to what they call a “new life” after being held hostage by criminal groups. The illegal sit-at-home order that kept Owerri from working for years has mostly gone away, but people are still scared. The Court of Appeal in Owerri, which still closes every Monday, is one visible reminder.

A senior court employee said that the decision came about because of a traumatic event that happened four years ago, when gunmen kidnapped a driver who worked for one of the Justices. The man and the court car he drove have not been found. The source said, “It is a sad but necessary choice.” “Life is important.” The family of the driver who was kidnapped is still in pain over his death.

Some communities are still being careful

A well-known person from the Orlu zone, which has long been thought to be a hotbed of violent attacks, told SEV that people in Orsu and Orlu are just being careful. He said that the situation should be left alone for now and hoped that “the problem will go away the same way it came.”

People who live in nearby Okigwe, on the other hand, tell a more sobering story.

People still act out of fear of past violence

Chidiebere Ike Nwokike, who lives in the Okigwe area, said that people are still very careful. “We have seen more than our fair share of bloodshed in Okigwe, Ihube, and nearby communities,” he said. Many famous people don’t go back to their ancestral homes anymore, and fewer people means less business.

He went on to say, “No sane person fights with a criminal who is armed, disillusioned, or addicted to drugs.” “Then so be it if staying home on Mondays keeps us alive. There’s no way to know for sure that business will do well on a Monday.