Northern Community Traders (NCT) at the Abia State Cattle Market at Umuchieze in Umunneochi Local Council have insisted on residing inside the market.
They appealed to the state governor, Dr. Alex Otti, to rescind the decision to restrain traders from living in the market. Spokesperson for the traders, Buba Abdullahi Kedemure, who addressed the media, said it will be a tactical mistake for them to relocate to various communities in Umuchieze, considering the high rate of crime in Umunneochi.
The traders, who said they started the cattle market in 2005, after the 80 hectares of land was allocated to them, accused the state government of plotting to now chase them away, despite that they are peace loving and with legal right to reside in any part of Nigeria of their choice and carry on legitimate undertakings.
They said: “On January 11, 2005, Abia State government through the then Deputy Governor, late Dr. Chima Nwafor, flagged off Umuchieze a.k.a Lokpanta Cattle Market, which was duly allocated to the northerners at its present location at Umuchieze on about 80 hectares of land along Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway.
“The allocation of the land to the Northern Community was not predicated on any condition, save for the Northern Community to maximally utilise it for the purpose of cattle trading and other allied business transactions, residential quarters and motor park.”
They debunked allegations that NCT is harbouring criminals, claiming that they engage in legitimate business.The traders claimed that they had in the past identified criminal hideouts close to the market to security agencies.
They called on the state to build an estate, and attract banks to the market area, stressing that they generate over N20 million daily, which they can’t safely deposit in faraway banks, hence, keeping the money safe in their market residences.
The Guardian learnt that the traders had in two separate meetings with the governor agreed to relocate from the market, following government’s decision to convert the cattle market to a daily general non-residential one.
The government had hinged reason for the decision on reported criminal activities therein and allegation that the ransoms paid by kidnapped victims were being dropped off within the market axis.
Governor Otti announced that under the new status, the market will be fenced, and open between 6:00a.m. and 6:00p.m. daily, while traders of various merchandise are to be admitted.
This followed the discovery of 80 decomposing human bodies and 20 headless ones, including skeletons of adults and children by security operatives when they recently raided the market area around Lokpanta.
Meanwhile, a former Abia state Commissioner for Commerce, Chief Emeka Okafor, has clarified that the said Cattle Market land does not belong to his Lokpanta Community but to Umuchieze Clan, comprising Lokpanta, Lokpaukwu, Lekwesi and Leru communities.
