On Sunday, butchers in Umuahia, the capital of Abia State, demonstrated against the state government’s and its operatives’ purported plans to fire them from their slaughterhouse located in Ubakala, Umuahia South Local Government Area.

Butchers Protesting

The hundreds-strong butchers marched through Umuahia’s streets to the Government House, where they presented their complaints to Governor Alex Otti’s Chief Security Officer, Mr. Ken Nwosu, while holding signs reflecting their discontent.

“Some individuals, working with the host community and government officials, came and sent us out, fencing some sections of the abattoir and asking us to relocate to Umunneochi,” said Ngozi Williams, the president of the butchers.

“We have sent letters to the state administration, but we have not heard back. Instead, someone from administration House has arrived and is taking us away. We did not bring any land with us when we moved to Ubakala; instead, the same state government gave us land.

“On the contrary, we have been subjected to harassment by a state security official who works with Operation Crush, a state government security unit.”

He told them, however, that although issues pertaining to graves and abattoirs, among other things, are the purview of the local governments, the Otti administration will look into the subject since it has a human aspect, and he praised them for their nonviolent protest.

The Mgbarakuma Autonomous Community’s traditional ruler, HRH Eze Nwaubani, denied any knowledge of the purported preparations to arrest the butchers when he was contacted.

When contacted, however, Navy Commander Macdonald Uba, Otti’s Special Adviser, claimed that the state government was only attempting to improve the abattoir’s hygienic conditions by fencing it, installing a security gate, providing water, and providing clean, contemporary meat slabs—as opposed to what the butchers had been using in an unclean environment.