Cattle dealers at the Lokpanta Regional Cattle Market have appealed to Abia State Government not to stop them from residing inside the market as the Government insists on flushing criminals out of the market.
Speaking during an interactive session between a delegation of Government officials and the leadership of the cattle dealers at Lokpanta on Tuesday, the Chairman of Cattle Marketers Association, Alhaji Saleh Algare, begged the State Government to review the decision.
Alhaji Algare said that the location of the market was remote, arguing that asking traders not to reside inside the market would be inconveniencing to them.
He, however, refuted speculations in some quarters that Northerners were asked to leave the market, saying such narration was false.
” No Northern was told to go home. It’s not true. But we are appealing to Government not to stop us from residing inside the market.
” When the cattle market was still in Umuahia, we come and do our business and go back to our home. But here is a bush. Let them allow us to live here because it is far from town.”
He requested that Government should give them accommodation , about 3000 to 4000 housing units if they were asked not to live inside the market again.
When told that the reason for quiting those who reside inside the market was to stop the infiltration by criminals who had of late converted into a hideout for their nefarious activities, Alhaji Algare said the marketers were not criminals.
He said they had always handed over criminal elements arrested in the market to security agencies.
Corroborating his position, the Chairman of November Community in the state, Alhaji Eze Danladi Yaro, said cattle dealers were not criminals.
He pleaded with the State Government to be lenient on the traders.
Addressing the traders, Security Adviser to the Governor, Navy Commander MacDonald Ubah (retd.), said that the decision of the State Government to convert the market into a day market was not to witch-hunt anybody but part of the necessary security measures to safeguard lives and property of genuine traders and visitors to the market.
He explained that contrary to misleading reports by some mischievous elements the State Government never gave any quit notice to Northerners in the market.
The SA said that “Gov. Alex Otti is a detribalised Nigerian” and could not have given such a bigotry order.
He said that the decision of Government to convert the market to a day market and stop people from residing inside it was borne out of intelligence reports that criminals were using the market as a hideout.
The SA further explained that individuals are not allowed to reside inside major markets in other parts of the country, adding that the measure is in the interest of everybody.
He noted that brothels which were recently demolished in the market were found to be den of criminals.
The SA who noted that the rate of kidnapping along the Enugu- Port Harcourt Expressway since after the demolition had drastically subsided, appealed to the traders to support the Government action.
He said that the Abia State Government was resolute in ensuring the protection of all residents and visitors to the state irrespective of their state of origin.
Speaking earlier, the Chief Press Secretary, CPS, to the Governor, Mr Kazie Uko, expressed shock at how the Governor’s honest directive was twisted by mischief makers.
He assured the traders the the Governor had their interest at heart irrespective of their states of origin.
The CPC said Gov. Otti was committed to safeguarding the interest of all law-abiding citizens and residents of Abia, and assured the traders of their full protection.
Source: The Vanguard
