Governor Chukwuma Soludo has said security in Anambra State has significantly improved, declaring that the years-long Monday sit-at-home is now effectively over.
Soludo made the remarks on Tuesday during his inauguration for a second term in office, held at the Alex Ekwueme Square in Awka, the state capital.
“The debilitating sit-at-home is over. Our schools, markets, businesses, and public servants are back to work. Ndi Anambra say ours is now the safest, or at least one of the safest states in Nigeria,” the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said.
Addressing dignitaries at the event including former Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Olusegun Obasanjo, as well as Vice President Kashim Shettima, Soludo noted that normalcy has returned to the state.
“I’m sure many of you flew into Anambra yesterday, being Monday. Previously, that was not possible,” he added.
The Monday sit-at-home order had, for years, forced millions of residents across the South-East to remain indoors, shutting down businesses and public life. It began as a protest against the arrest and detention of pro-Biafra leader Nnamdi Kanu by the Federal Government.
Highlighting progress made, Soludo said security forces had dismantled 62 criminal camps and restored normalcy in eight local government areas previously under siege.
He also cited a surge in visitor numbers during the last festive season as evidence of improved safety.
“Anambra recorded its best Christmas in decades, with a mass return of indigenes and over 10,000 visitors daily to Solution City through January 10,” he said.
According to the governor, the Homeland Security Law 2025 has played a key role in reducing crime and restoring order across the state.
Soludo expressed concern over what he described as a growing culture among some youths that glorifies wealth without work, warning of its link to rising criminality.
“With the enforcement of the Homeland Security Law 2025, ‘Oso Soludo’ is real. Hundreds of these dangerous native doctors are on the run,” he said.
He added that a prominent figure linked to the trend, Akwa Okuko Tiwara Aki, had pleaded guilty, been sentenced to jail, and had his shrine demolished.
“We are on a serious crusade for ethical and cultural rebirth, returning to the values of enterprise and integrity that once defined us. This is how we secure our future and steer our youth away from drugs, cultism, and crime,” the governor said.
