Mr. Nome said despite the objection by Mr. Orji and other senior government officials, the abattoir would be moved.
Mr. Nome described the abattoir as “unhygienic”, as it is located near a cemetery.
The abattoir is located near three cemeteries, one for Christians, another for Muslims, and the third for other categories of people.
The commissioner for environment said by slaughtering meat in the area, dealers desecrate the graves where people’s loved ones were buried.
More importantly, he said, such activities could expose members of the public to avoidable health hazards especially as the state currently deals with Lassa fever and cholera outbreak.
“We have warned the abattoir operators severally to relocate from the cemetery but they refused to do so and we cannot continue to allow them slaughter meats in the area because it poses health hazards to the members of the public,” he said.
“We have outbreak of Lassa fever which the government has been battling to curtail by spending very much and these people are here slaughtering animal that people will eat.
“They said they have been staying here since after the civil war. But we have provided a very conducive place in another area for them to continue their business but they refused to relocate to the place.
“The problem we are having is not even those people, it is some people in government that are giving them covering fire. He (Mr. Orji) is one of the people. When I wanted to move them he said it is Agric. That it is only veterinary that can remove them. Some people in government are injecting bad blood in the matter,” he said.
He directed the Director of Environment in the Ministry, Simon Arua, to institute legal action against the abattoir dealers and threatened to use Police and SSS to sack them if they refused to relocate from the area after the one-month ultimatum he gave them to vacate.
The Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Orji when contacted refused to react to the allegation.
He simply said,” He (Nomeh) cannot say that.
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