The disclosure was made by Governor Alex Otti on Sunday night during a press conference in Umuahia. He regretted that the area around the market had turned into a haven for crooks.
He swore that the state government’s decision to kick all inhabitants out of the market could not be reversed.
It will turn into a day market “that closes in the evening and everybody goes home,” according to the governor of Abia.
The continued effort to combat insecurity in the Umunneochi/Isuikwuato axis is starting to pay off, according to Governor Otti.
He promised that not a single square inch of Abia State, including the area where the remains were discovered, would be used as a haven for criminals.
He added that anyone who was still against the government’s efforts to clean up the livestock market was either a criminal or an accomplice.
According to Governor Otti, his administration has incorporated technology to combat insecurity within the state. And he promised to keep up the pressure on lawbreakers until complete security and tranquility were restored.
“We have electronic equipment that tells us what is happening in every part of the state,” Governor Otti declared. “A few weeks ago, we found that a lot of ransom that was paid for kidnapping ended up somewhere around Umunneochi, and we decided to raid the place. During the raid, we made shocking discoveries. We recovered over 50 dead bodies around the Umunneochi cattle market in less than 48 hours. We recovered over 20 decomposing headless bodies — men, women, and children! We recovered so many skeletons of people who were killed.”
“We also found out that a lot of other stuff, like prostitution and gunrunning, were going on in the market.
We so realized that securing the market should come first. We broke in and took down a lot of brothels. Additionally, we believed that the market had to operate like any other market, opening in the morning and closing in the evening.
Otti also made a hint that fencing off the market and turning it into a general-purpose market would be part of the steps taken to increase security in the neighborhood.
He continued, “Anyone who opposes this action must be a criminal; Abia is no longer a place for criminals.”
Noting that ongoing infrastructure development is proceeding as planned, Otti stated that the war against insecurity would not divert his administration’s attention from its development program.
In addition to the amount of road projects that have already been awarded and completed, he clarified that more would be given in the coming weeks.
Otti promised that the contract will be given very soon, stating that three designs had already been received for the Nunya/Isuikwuato road.
He added that the Ohafia/Abam/Okobo/Arochukwu road reconstruction contract had been granted.
The governor expressed regret that earlier administrations had approved but not carried out the same initiative. He assured everyone that the long-standing curse that “no road to Arochukwu is easy” will be lifted very soon.