Police with Details of 70 corpses – Abia govt

According to the Abia State Government, security authorities currently possess the information regarding the seventy bodies found in the forest near the Lokpanta Cattle Market in the Umunneochi Local Government Area.

During a sweep of the woodland around the cattle market, security agents discovered 70 decomposing corpses and countless skeletons, according to information revealed by Abia State Governor Alex Otti last Sunday during the second installment of his monthly media talk in Umuahia.

In order to protect people’s lives, the governor clarified, his administration decided to change the market from a weekly to a daily market.

The leaders of the northern group at the market, however, claimed they were unaware of the finding of the aforementioned corpses and that they perceived the governor’s action as a ruse to drive them out.

However, when our correspondent asked the governor’s chief press secretary, Kazie Uko, where the bodies were transferred after being evacuated from the forest, he said that security officials had information on the found bodies and that it would be made public after the investigations were finished.

Uko said, “What he (Otti) said was based on the report given to him by the security men.

“It is the security men who will tell where the corpses are. It is a security matter and they didn’t package them to come and give to the governor.

“The people did their operations and they reported to the governor their findings. It is a security matter.”

On whether the corpses would be given a mass burial or displayed for possible identification by relations, the CPS said, “By the time the security agencies finish their investigation, they will know what they want to do.”

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Maureen Chinaka, said she would get back to our correspondent on the matter. She had, however, yet to do so as of the time of filing this report.