Okigwe (Nigeria)

Okigwe () is the third largest city in Imo state in Nigeria after Owerri and Orlu. Okigwe is located in the Okigwe Local Government Area (LGA) of Nigeria. The city lies between the Port Harcourt-Enugu-Maiduguri rail line, being the nearest city to the biggest cattle market in Nigeria located in the Umu Nneochi Area of Abia state. Thus, the city has grown into a major cattle transit town for the South-East and South subregions of Nigeria. Okigwe has a population of 132,237 (2005 census). Most of the population is made up of immigrant workers from other states. Okigwe city was the primary host site of the old Imo State University (now Abia State University). Okigwe has various tourist and historical sites. Okigwe remains one of the breadbaskets of Nigeria with terrace cultivation practised on its hilly farmlands. St. Mary's Cathedral in Okigwe is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Okigwe. In 2016, the Imo state government recommissioned a new cattle market in the city in respect to the previous one that has been relocated to Abia.