The Labour Party’s (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 Elections, Peter Obi, has reacted to the discovery of decomposing corpses in Abia State, describing it as “bone-chilling” and “extremely cruel.”
In a statement on Thursday, Obi said the discovery “reflects how insecure our environment has been” and “unearths how insecurity has continued to ravage many parts of the country, taking innocent lives and killing the economy.”
Obi commended the Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, for taking a “bold step” against insecurity in the state. He also recalled facing a similar situation in 2013 as the Governor of Anambra State.
“I was accompanying President Goodluck Johnathan to an official engagement outside the country when I received the sad report of about 35 decomposing bodies floating on Ezu River, Anambra,” Obi said.
“I 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 that the security of lives and property remains the primary duty of any government and is key to any meaningful development. He, therefore, urged governments at all levels to make more efforts in combating insecurity in the nation.
“We must prioritize security,” Obi said. “We cannot continue to allow our people to live in fear and uncertainty.”While addressing the media earlier in the week, Abia State Governor Alex Otti had said a large number of decomposed and headless bodies as well as skeletons were discovered in the market located at Lokpanta in Umuchieze.