The 2023 presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has expressed shock at the Abia State Government’s revelation that 80 dead bodies were recovered near a cattle market in the state.
Governor Alex Otti made the revelation during a media parley in Umuahia on Monday.
The governor said that the discovery was made at Umuchieze Cattle Market in Lokpanta of Umunneochi Local Government Area (LGA).
“We installed electronic equipment to find out what is happening in every part of the state. A few weeks ago, we found that a lot of the ransom that was paid for kidnapping ended up somewhere around Umunneochi LGA.
“We decided to dominate the place and what we saw was shocking. In less than 48 hours, we recovered over 80 dead bodies around the cattle market, and we recovered 20 headless bodies decomposing bodies which include adults and children.
“We recovered uncountable skeletons of people who had been killed and left to decompose still around that axis,” Otti said.
In a reaction via X, formerly known as Twitter on Thursday, Obi said that the shocking discovery proved out insecure the nation has become.
He encouraged government at all levels to make concerted efforts to ensure the securing of lives and property of the citizenry.
“I read the bone-chilling story coming out of Abia State, where over 80 bodies were reportedly recovered around the cattle market, with about 20 headless decomposing bodies. This level of barbarism and extremely cruel acts only reflects how insecure our environment has been.
“It unearths how insecurity has continued to ravage many parts of the country, taking innocent lives and killing the economy. I thank the Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, for taking such a bold step against insecurity in the State. This is highly emulatable.
“I recall facing a similar situation in 2013 as the Governor of Anambra State. I was accompanying President Goodluck Johnathan to an official engagement outside the country when I received the sad report of about 35 decomposing bodies floating on Ezu River, Anambra.
“I had to leave everything to rush back to the State to attend to the situation and ensure that order was restored in the vicinity. Investigation was immediately commenced, with autopsies conducted, before the Federal Government took over the process and asked the State Government to hands off. Security of lives and property remains the primary duty of any government and key to any meaningful development we hope to experience as a nation. We must therefore prioritise it.
“I encourage governments at all levels to make more efforts in combating insecurity in the nation,” Obi said.