The Abia government has stated that it cleared the Lokpanta cattle market and condemned the Hausa community leaders for condoning criminals and peddling falsehood about the state government.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on sSecurity, Macdonald Ubah, said during a press briefing at Government House, Umuahia, that Governor Alex Otti’s administration would make the market a daily market for security reasons and, therefore, issued a seven-day notice for people residing within the market to move out.
Ubah said the government’s decision was informed by findings which showed that the market served as a rendezvous for the perpetrators of kidnappings in the area.
He said it had been observed that several kidnaps, which had happened for over a year, took place around the Lokpanta-Umunneochi and Uturu axis of Abia State and linked to people who hibernate in the Cattle market.
He added that the spate of kidnappings in Abia State became very worrisome, and the Otti administration began taking measures to curtail or stop its occurrence.
He said it was unfortunate that the cattle market leaders and traders had not carried themselves well, as had allowed criminals, hard drugs peddlers and social misfits to infiltrate and take over the market.
“Every intel we received concerning the kidnap incidents in the state point to the cattle market, as it has been noticed that ransom is paid at and around the Lokpanta market.
“About two months ago, we went to the market and delivered a stern warning that the government will not tolerate the market being a safe haven for criminals and criminality.
“They equally illegally extended the market to the median of the Enugu-Unuahia-Port Harcourt expressway and adjourning state roads, which they use to carry out their nefarious criminal activities.
“So, the first thing we did was to dismantle the market in the median, and then three weeks ago, we carried out a deliberate action of demolishing brothels numbering over 160 rooms and shanties in the market,” the governor’s aide explained.
Ubah added that “arrests were made and monies in the several millions of naira cash recovered and investigations are on-going.”
According to him, plans were underway to fence the market and convert it to a modern daily market.
He urged the public to disregard rumours about the sacking of the Hausa community from the state, adding that it was the handiwork of mischief makers and probably the sponsors of criminality in the state.
Ubah said the government had, at a meeting with the cattle market leaders, informed them of its decision to convert the market to a daily market, adding that they said the notice was too short and pleaded for time which was granted⁷.
“It is surprising and very embarrassing to the government that they have turned around to say that we have driven them out. This is spurious information and should be disregarded.
“The position of the government is that the market will no longer be residential because key performance indicators have shown that there has been no kidnap around that axis in the past six weeks since we took all the measures we did.
“So, it is untrue that we told them to leave, but it is the responsibility of the Governor, who is also the Chief Security Officer of the state, to ensure that the state is safe for everybody.” (NAN)
