Abia govt orders health officers to inspect all abattoirs over disease risks

Abia State Government has directed its environmental health officers to urgently inspect all abattoirs across the state and to stop butchers from using vehicle tyres to roast animal skin, popularly known as “kanda.”

It also warned that roasting of animal skin with tyres posed serious public health risks for the citizens, including cancer threat.

Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Philemon Ogbonna, who  gave the charge in Aba on Thursday during a meeting he held with environmental health officers, called for strict enforcement of environmental and health standards at abattoirs.

The Commissioner directed the officers to enforce the government’s order that sacked sand miners and dredgers from Umuigwe and Uratta communities in Osisioma.

He said that  Aba master plan did not permit sand mining  activities in the area.

Ogbonna urged them to intensify public sensitisation on proper sanitation practices and educate residents on the importance of maintaining clean and healthy surroundings.

Earlier in his speech,  Abia State president of the Environmental Health Officers Association of Nigeria (EHOAN),  Obieze Odimuko, and the treasurer, Mrs. Onyinyechi Nwigwe, disclosed that the officers had visited 1,382 villages, and  79,955 premises.

They also said that  50,236 abatement notices were served, 22,143 cases of compliance recorded, while 2,559 defaulters were prosecuted between June 2025 and August 2026.