Enforcement Operation Raises Questions

Fresh controversy has emerged over the activities of the Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra (OCHA) Brigade following a reported enforcement exercise at the popular Onitsha Main Market in Anambra State.

According to accounts circulating online, personnel identified as OCHA Brigade operatives, reportedly accompanied by members of Agunechemba and other security personnel, carried out an operation targeting traders displaying their goods along roadsides and other open spaces within the market.

A viral video purportedly showing the incident captures uniformed personnel gathering, pushing and throwing various goods into a waiting truck.

The truck was reportedly filled with confiscated merchandise by the end of the exercise, although the quantity and value of the goods have not been independently established.

The operation has generated concerns among traders and members of the public, particularly regarding the manner in which the goods were handled.

Traders Already Facing Displacement

The reported incident comes against the backdrop of the Anambra State Government’s ongoing efforts to restructure Onitsha Main Market, including the demolition of shops and structures considered illegal or inconsistent with approved market development plans.

Previous media reports have documented how some traders affected by demolition exercises resorted to displaying their goods in open spaces and along market corridors in an attempt to continue their businesses.

It remains unclear whether the traders affected by the latest enforcement operation were among those displaced by the demolition exercises.

Nevertheless, the situation raises broader concerns about the challenges facing traders whose established business locations have been affected by government redevelopment policies.

For many small-scale traders, their businesses represent their primary source of income, supporting families, paying school fees and meeting everyday financial obligations.

Losing access to a shop can be financially devastating. Having merchandise subsequently confiscated could further compound those difficulties.

Government’s Drive to Restore Order

The Anambra State Government has repeatedly emphasised its commitment to improving environmental sanitation, restoring order in public markets and removing illegal structures obstructing roads, drainage channels and pedestrian walkways.

OCHA Brigade is one of the agencies involved in enforcing environmental regulations and discouraging unauthorised roadside trading.

Such enforcement activities are intended to improve accessibility, reduce congestion and maintain cleaner and safer commercial environments.

However, questions remain about the methods employed during enforcement operations, particularly where traders’ merchandise is confiscated or potentially damaged.

While government agencies have a responsibility to enforce applicable regulations, the exercise of that authority must remain lawful, proportionate and respectful of the rights and dignity of affected individuals.

Traders Call for Government Intervention

Following the circulation of the video, some traders have called on the Anambra State Government to scrutinise the activities of OCHA Brigade personnel.

Their concerns centre on the reported seizure of goods and the manner in which the merchandise was handled during the operation.

The incident raises several important questions.

Were the affected traders given adequate notice before the enforcement exercise?

Were the confiscated goods properly documented and secured?

What procedures are available for traders seeking to recover their merchandise?

And where traders have already been displaced by demolition exercises, what practical alternatives are available to enable them to continue earning a livelihood?

These questions deserve clear answers from the relevant authorities.

Balancing Urban Renewal With Economic Survival

Onitsha Main Market is one of the major commercial centres in southeastern Nigeria, attracting traders, buyers and businesses from across the country.

Maintaining order within such a busy commercial environment is essential. Unregulated roadside trading can obstruct movement, create safety hazards and interfere with emergency access.

However, urban renewal programmes must also consider their economic and social consequences.

For traders who have invested years of savings into their businesses, displacement without accessible alternatives can create serious hardship.

The government must therefore balance its commitment to market redevelopment and environmental enforcement with the need to protect legitimate livelihoods.

Where enforcement involves confiscation of merchandise, transparent procedures, proper handling of goods and accessible recovery mechanisms are particularly important.

Anambra Socials Calls for Accountability

Anambra Socials calls on Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo and the relevant supervisory authorities to review the circumstances surrounding the reported operation at Onitsha Main Market.

There is a need to establish whether the exercise followed approved enforcement procedures, whether any merchandise was damaged and what arrangements exist for affected traders to recover their goods.

The government should also provide clarity on its plans for traders displaced by ongoing market redevelopment activities.

Restoring order to Onitsha Main Market is a legitimate public objective, but it should not result in avoidable hardship or unnecessarily aggressive enforcement.

A cleaner and better-organised market should not come at the expense of fairness, accountability and human dignity.

The Bigger Question

As Anambra State continues its urban renewal and market redevelopment programmes, the situation at Onitsha Main Market highlights a question that deserves serious consideration:

How can the government enforce market regulations while ensuring that ordinary traders are not pushed further into economic hardship?

Anambra Socials believes that effective governance requires both enforcement and compassion.

The public deserves safe, accessible and properly organised markets. Traders equally deserve fair treatment, transparent procedures and reasonable opportunities to sustain their livelihoods.

At the time of publication, Anambra Socials had not independently confirmed the identities of all personnel involved, the legal basis for the reported confiscations or whether the affected traders had been displaced by previous demolition exercises.

An official response from OCHA Brigade and the relevant Anambra State authorities concerning this particular incident has not been independently established.

Anambra Socials will continue to follow developments surrounding this incident.

Have you witnessed similar enforcement operations in Onitsha or elsewhere in Anambra State? Share your experiences and opinions with Anambra Socials.

Subsequent enforcement statement

A report published by Insideoutnews on 11 October says OCHA Brigade reaffirmed the ban on street trading and warned of confiscation, arrest and prosecution. This helps explain the agency’s stated enforcement position.

It is not an incident-specific explanation of the footage discussed above. It does not establish that each person shown received notice, that a confiscation inventory was created, or that the goods were subsequently returned.

The identity of individual operatives, the recording date and the recovery arrangements remain matters requiring direct documentation. Anambra Socials has not obtained an incident report or a verified inventory of seized merchandise for this article.

Sources and reporting basis

External reports provide the context identified above; they do not independently verify every statement in submitted footage.

Editorial update, 19 October 2026: Added the agency’s reported street-trading position and distinguished it from an unobtained response to the specific incident.