Contrary to circulating rumors, the Abia State Government has vehemently denied issuing directives for Northerners residing and conducting businesses at the Lokpanta Cattle Market to vacate the state.
According to a press release signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Kazie Uko, the government clarified that the individuals in question are “the second and third generations of Igbos” residing in Lokpanta.
Addressing journalists at the Government House in Umuahia, Navy Commander Macdonald Ubah (rtd), the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, dismissed the false news and emphasized that the Lokpanta-Uturu axis has been grappling with criminal elements in recent years. This prompted the government to take substantial measures to curb kidnappings and other criminal activities in the area.
Ubah revealed that preliminary investigations identified the Lokpanta Cattle Market as a significant hideout for individuals involved in various criminal activities, including kidnappings, organ harvesting, armed robbery, and other violent crimes. He cited instances where ransom for kidnap victims in the Uturu-Umunneochi axis was reportedly paid within the market premises.
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The retired Naval Commander stressed that Governor Alex Otti, OFR, is a detribalized Nigerian who appointed non-Abians into his cabinet. He clarified that most cattle dealers in the state are second and third generations of Igbos, dispelling any notion of the government issuing eviction directives.
While affirming the government’s stance that the Lokpanta Cattle Market will no longer be residential but a daily market, Ubah explained that this decision was made in the interest of citizens and cattle dealers alike. He insisted that the government would not reverse this decision and highlighted that meetings with the leadership of the market unions had been conducted to communicate the decision for security reasons.