Twenty decaying bodies and skeletons were found by security personnel during a search of the woodlands near the Lokpanta Cattle Market along the Umunneochi section of the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, according to Abia State Governor Alex Otti.
According to him, 50 more dead were discovered in and around the market, and the market was apparently linked to the ransom money made to suspected kidnappers.
In the state capital of Umuahia, on Sunday, Otti revealed this during the second round of his monthly media talk.
He said that, in keeping with his administration’s dedication to safeguarding the lives of all state residents and guests, not a single square inch of the state’s land mass would be left in the hands of lawbreakers.
He emphasized that the state’s determination to transform the cattle market into a daily market was not directed at any one tribe within the nation, but rather to modernize the security framework of both the market and the community it serves.
He said, “We have taken a stand to provide adequate security to Abia citizens and visitors because no government can succeed in the face of insecurity. This government will not get involved in supporting criminals or allow them to occupy any part of the state.
“When we decided to occupy the Lokpanta cattle market in Umunneochi Local Government Area of the state, we discovered 50 dead bodies, 20 headless dead bodies, men, women and children and uncountable skeletons. We also discovered that ransoms paid to kidnappers were usually dropped close to the market.
“But it was unfortunate that some people misinterpreted our action to mean that we asked the Northerners trading in the market to leave the state, but after our interactions with leaders of the Northern community, we told them that anyone who is not in support of the moves we are making to secure the state must be a criminal, they saw reasons with us and quickly reversed the quit notice they issued to Igbos in the North.
“That’s why we have decided to make the market a daily market, people can go to the market and do their business and go home at the end of the day. The market will not be only a cattle market again, but it will have other sections for other goods like every other market.
“Those who live inside the market will now live among other people in the state outside the market”.
In addition, the governor stated that the government would not utilize its resources to cater to attention seekers and purported political stakeholders. The governor underlined that his administration is dedicated to using public funds to build high-quality infrastructure for its citizens.
He encouraged anyone who was experiencing problems getting paid for their work to file complaints with the state’s office of the Account General, promising that their cases would be handled as quickly as possible.
