Kwara State has reportedly buried all allegedly confiscated poisoned cows slaughtered for public consumption around the state College of Arabic and Islamic Legal Studies, CAILS, in Ilorin, the state capital.
According to reports, preliminary investigation revealed that the animals grazed on contaminated grasses.
The burial of the animals followed several measures already put in place to prevent people from consuming the suspected poisoned meat from the alleged poisonous animals in the state.
A statement by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mrs Funke Sokoya, recalls that the state government through the collaborative efforts of the Ministries of Agriculture, Health, Environment, and the State Environmental Protection Agency, in partnership with other concerned stakeholders including the Iyaloja of Mandate Market, all agreed to suspend slaughtering activities for three consecutive days beginning from Monday to allow for proper fumigation of the slaughter slab against any residual effect.
A preliminary investigation on the incident showed that the cause of the ugly incident was as a result of grazing on contaminated grasses around the area.
According to the statement, the Ministry of Agriculture would intensify its surveillance at different abattoirs in the state, especially the private and government abattoirs.
The Director of Veterinary Services, Dr. Olugbon Abdullateef Saliman said, “Private slaughter slabs as it is going, will have to reduce their number to the level that the Ministry could manage. Any slaughter slab that the meat is not inspected will not be allowed to go out.
“If the slaughter slab is not following our standard, it will be closed down, and those closed down will be directed to the government slaughter slabs, any private slaughter slab that is close to the government slab will be directed to go and slaughter at the government slaughter slabs. By this standard, we will be able to monitor what they slaughter and give to the populace,” the statement added.
