Peter Obi urges government to prioritise security of lives, properties

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has urged the government at all levels in Nigeria to prioritise the security of lives and properties.

Obi said this on Thursday in his reaction to a report that the Abia government discovered over 50 decomposing bodies, over 20 headless bodies and countless human skeletons all around Lokpanta Cattle Market in the Umunneochi Local Government Area of the state.

The Abia state governor, Alex Otti, made this shocking disclosure on Monday during his monthly media chat that was held in the Government House, Umuahia.

Obi, reacting on X (formerly Twitter) said he 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.

“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,” he stated.

“We must therefore prioritise it. I encourage governments at all levels to make more efforts in combating insecurity in the nation.

“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.”

Obi thanked Governor Otti for taking such a bold step against insecurity in Abia State, saying it is highly emulatable.

The LP presidential flagbearer also recalled facing a similar situation in 2013 as the governor of Anambra State.

Obi stated that he was accompanying former President Goodluck Jonathan to an official engagement outside Nigeria when he received the sad report of about 35 decomposing bodies floating on the Ezu River, Anambra.

He said he 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,” Obi said.