Relocation of waterside abattoir and ‘Ahia Udele’ was a big relief for us — Aba residents

…They constituted health hazards and a trap

…Relocation saved lives and vehicles in Aba
By Ugochukwu Alaribe

The Aba Waterside used to be a buzzing, chaotic hub for the local meat trade. It was the first stop for cows and goats making the long journey down from Northern Nigeria, where they were offloaded right at the bridge to be slaughtered.

Because the abattoir sat on both sides of the bridge, the Aba-Ikot Ekpene road was a constant bottleneck. You’d often see butchers and dealers struggling to herd their animals across the busy highway, bringing traffic to a complete standstill. It was a risky business—every so often, an animal would break free, sending people running for cover in a frantic stampede.

Many unsuspecting passersby and motorists sustained injuries from the cows when they broke loose.
The waterside also hosted a market popularly known as Ahia Udele (Vulture market). The vultures, which were a regular sight at the market, were sustained by the debris from the slaughtered cows and waste generated at the market. The stench that oozed from the abattoir was a major health hazard for the traders, their customers, and residents around the area; yet the traders and cow dealers pretended as if nothing was happening. The environment was simply scum and filth.

The abbatoir was sustained by the Aba River, which flows under the bridge. It served as a place where the butchers washed their meat and also took a bath after their daily activities.

Nobody cared about the environment and the health risk posed by the contamination of the river. The Aba South Local Government authorities, under whose jurisdiction the abattoir operated, were alleged to have only visited the area to collect revenue and cared less about the ugly environment.

Beyond the unhealthy condition of the abattoir and market, was the regular occurrence of accidents and gridlock caused by cows which were being transported to the abattoir daily. Hardly a week passed without two or more accidents on both lanes of the waterside bridge, due to the activities at the abbatoir.
Several times, cows being taken to the abbatoir ran amok and hit vehicles and injured passersby. It was a regular sight to see cow dealers and their boys pursuing stray cows on the bridge and inside the overcrowded market in the abbatoir. Many traders had their goods smashed by the cows. There were also cases of vehicles smashed by stray cows, and passersby injured while fleeing from rampaging cows. Some of the accidents occurred at night time as cows escaped during offloading, causing accidents.

Another cause of accidents on the waterside bridge was the regular activities of touts on revenue drive who chase and struggle for control of vehicles with alleged defaulters; most times, leading to deaths and injuries to motorists and passersby.

The unhealthy condition of articulated vehicles with faulty brakes, especially from a particular bottling company, were other factors that continued to cause road mishaps in the area.

Residents also lamented that many accidents have been caused by the erection of Army and Police checkpoints at the waterside bridge.

In February 2013, 10 market women died in an auto crash involving a Mitsubishi L300 bus and a truck at the waterside bridge.

According to eyewitnesses, the truck rammed into the bus parked at the roadside after the bridge.
In May 2017, another tragedy struck at the waterside bridge when a bus belonging to a popular transport company crashed into a tricycle and injured five persons. Eyewitnesses had told SEV that the bus was descending the hill when its brakes failed and it crashed into a tricycle at the bus stop and injured three passersby and two passengers.

“The bus was coming down the hill at top speed; the brakes suddenly failed and it crashed into the tricycle, injuring the driver and two passengers at the bus stop. Two people who were waiting to board a bus were also injured. Many people would have been injured if the bus had not crashed into the tricycle,” eyewitnesses said.

On November 13, 2018, an auto crash also claimed the life of a pregnant woman at the Ahia Udele section of the waterside bridge.

The accident had occurred when some touts who usually collect ‘revenue’ in the area, struggled for control of a bus with the driver when it crashed into a speeding tricycle, killing the pregnant passenger. An angry mob caught up with one of the touts who caused the accident and meted out jungle justice on him.

A few months later, six persons lost their lives following an auto crash at the Ahia Udele market when a container-laden truck failed to brake on the River Layout slope and rammed into the market with tricycles conveying passengers trapped under the wreckage.

Sources said that the driver of the truck had to manoeuvre the vehicle into a path at the market, as it would have killed more people if the truck had continued on the road.

“The truck was conveying a container coming from East Street; with the way the driver was speeding, we suspected that the brake had failed. Within seconds, the truck rammed into the market , killing keke riders and other people in the market. More people would have been killed because this is a busy area, but we thank God, a trader at the market said.

It took hours before the injured traders and passengers were rescued and the dead recovered from the wreckage, as sympathizers were using axes to break the wreckage from where they brought out six dead bodies.

Before rescue efforts commenced, some loaders were engaged to offload the container-laden truck, believed to be the 40-foot type, even as a joint team of soldiers and policemen provided security to stop hoodlums from looting the goods in the container.

So it was no longer news then to hear of accidents in that axis.

SEV learned that over 20 passengers and passersby may have died from road mishaps at the waterside bridge, with over 50 injured. The cost of fixing damaged vehicles is estimated to be huge.
Outcry by CLO

The Civil Liberties Organisation, CLO, raised alarm and called on the Abia State Government to relocate the cattle dealers at the waterside bridge to make the area safe for pedestrians and motorists.

In a statement signed by the Chairman of the Aba Unit of CLO, Professor Charles Chinekezi, the organisation lamented that the activities of cattle dealers in the area had become a threat to road users and urged the state government to check the menace.

“CLO is worried on the danger posed by the activities of cattle dealers on the Ogbor Hill waterside bridge along Aba – Ikot Ekpene road. On several occasions, animals being led to the abattoir beside the river had run amok and injured pedestrians, held up in traffic, and caused auto crash on the ever busy road.

It has been a common sight to see stray animals even at nighttime wandering and constituting a nuisance to the environment.

“Two days ago, a cow, which was being pursued by 3 young men, blocked the road, causing heavy gridlock as people ran helter-skelter to avoid being attacked by the rampaging animal or hit by motorists. Government should make haste to check the trend to save lives and property,” the statement read in part.
CLO further urged the state government to make haste to relocate the abattoir at the bank of the River to a safer place where they would no longer pose a threat to road users.

Abia Govt seals Ahia Udele market, abbatoir, orders relocation.

Following the general outcry over the continuous auto crashes at the waterside bridge area and the unhealthy environment of the area, the then Governor Okezie Ikpeazu administration directed that the waterside abbatoir and market be sealed.

The government directed that the abattoir be relocated to Omuma Uzo in Ukwa West and AhËa Udele to Good morning market in Aba South.

“All those currently doing business in the above markets/abattoirs should immediately relocate to the New Omuma Uzor abattoir in Ukwa West LGA and the Good morning Market, Aba South LGA.”
The decision drastically reduced the rate of accidents on the waterside bridge.

To add value to the area, the Governor Alex Otti administration has also taken over the space as part of the new Enyimba Radisson Blue hotel, Aba, which will give it an impressive uplifting.

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