Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo on Wednesday said his administration has dismantled 62 criminal camps since he assumed office in 2022.
Soludo disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents after a closed-door meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The governor said the operations formed part of sustained efforts to restore security, insisting that Anambra is now among the safest states in the country.
“So far, since I came into office, about 62 criminal camps have been dismantled in Anambra, and we are not resting for one second.
“I will pride ourselves to be the safest, if not modestly, one of the safest states in the country,” he said.
Asked about the fate of suspects arrested during the raids, Soludo declined to give details, stressing that the camps had been effectively neutralised.
“The important thing is that the 62 camps have been decimated and they are no longer there. Anywhere they try to regroup, we move in and deal with them decisively. We cannot allow criminality to dominate our state,” he added.
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On the Monday sit-at-home directive that crippled economic activities in the South-East for nearly five years, the governor expressed optimism that normalcy had largely returned.
He described the order as “debilitating and destructive,” noting that schools and businesses outside major cities were often shut.
“For five years, every Monday, there was a criminal sit-at-home. Schools, markets and offices were under lock and key. This could not continue.
“We resolved that this year must mark the end. Enough is enough. We are taking back our state and our region,” he said.
The sit-at-home order was introduced by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in August 2021 following the arrest and detention of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who is facing terrorism charges.
Although IPOB later announced suspensions at various times, compliance persisted in parts of the region amid fears of violent enforcement by armed groups.
A report by SBM Intelligence linked enforcement of the directive between 2021 and 2025 to at least 776 deaths and 332 violent incidents across the South-East, with Imo and Anambra recording significant casualties. The report estimated economic losses at about N7.6 trillion due to repeated closures and disruptions.
IPOB formally cancelled the sit-at-home on February 8, 2026, following a directive from Kanu.
Soludo said the economic impact of the shutdown was substantial, noting that Mondays accounted for about 52 lost workdays annually.
“If you lose every Monday out of 365 days, that is about 20 per cent of the work week for many in the informal sector. Schools shut on Mondays, that is 20 per cent academic time lost.
“You are not only losing income, you are losing growth opportunities because investors may redirect their businesses elsewhere,” he said.
He cited Onitsha Main Market, which houses over 45,000 shops and is regarded as the largest in West Africa, as a key beneficiary of the return to normalcy.
According to him, the market is now fully operational on Mondays, with large crowds of traders and customers returning.
“I visited on a Monday and saw the joy. Tens of thousands were there, celebrating a new dawn. The following Monday, they turned out again in huge numbers,” he said.
The governor pledged to rejuvenate the market, describing it as dilapidated after years of poor management.
“We will regenerate the market. Parking spaces were converted to shops. We will restore order and return it to its pride of place as the premier market in West Africa,” he said.
Soludo added that the 2025 Yuletide season witnessed heavy traffic across Anambra, which he described as evidence of improved security.
“Last Christmas, there was heavy traffic across the state. It was a celebration of the return of security of lives and property,” he said.
On his meeting with President Tinubu, the governor said discussions were not limited to security, noting that other state matters were also addressed.
