No fewer than 10 women have died in child labour in the last 12 months at Sheriff Cattle Market, Lokpanta, in Umunochi Local Government Area of Abia, according to a resident.
The Secretary of the community, Ahmed Baba, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at Lokpanta on Friday that the women died due to the absence of medical attention.
Mr. Baba said that there was no maternity home in the settlement.
“There is no functional maternity or health-care centre here.
“Most times, in the process of conveying the women under labour either from here to Okigwe in Imo or Awgu in Enugu State, the women die on the way,’’ he lamented.
Mr. Baba called on the federal and Abia governments to handle the issue of health facility with urgency to save not only the lives of women but the entire community.
He urged the government to look into the poor environmental condition of the area as well as provide other amenities such as water and general waste disposal. (NAN)
