All of the meat that was allegedly taken from the poisonous cows and intended for sale or consumption by the general public has been buried by the Kwara State Government.
The investigation found that the tainted cow beef was buried close to the state capital of Ilorin, around the Kwara State College of Arabic and Islamic Legal Studies.
This comes after the government implemented a number of other measures to stop meat vendors and locals from eating meat from infected animals.
The State Government, working with the Ministries of Agriculture, Health, Environment, and the State Environmental Protection Agency, along with other concerned parties like the Iyaloja of Mandate Market, agreed to suspend slaughtering operations for three days starting on Monday in order to properly fumigate the slaughter slabs against any residual effects.
This decision was made public in a statement issued by Mrs. Funke Sokoya, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.It recalls that the Kwara Monitoring Group, identified in a statement signed by Dan Musa and released earlier on Sunday, April 21, 2024, called for an immediate response from the commissioners of the Kwara Environmental Protection Agency, the Environment, and Health to stop the poisoned meat of the dead cows from being sold to the public at various markets.
“Over 33 cows were suspected of being poisoned and died immediately, but surprisingly, the dead animals were slaughtered and given to butchers to be sold,” the group claims.
“It happened inside the College of Arabic and Islamic Studies, Ilorin, directly along Atere Road, which leads to the Al Hikma campus.”We pray that the concerned Ministry and Agency take the necessary and prompt action, since we have no idea to whom such tainted meat would be sold in the market.
“The government explained that it had visited the Mandate Market in order to seize the allegedly poisonous cow meat in a statement released by the State House under the title “Kwara Govt Team Arrives Mandate Market, Confiscates Suspected Beef.”
The statement was jointly signed by the state commissioners of agriculture and health, Dr. Amina El-Imam and Toyosi Thomas Adebayo, respectively.The statement read in parts, “The Kwara State Government officials and experts have arrived at the Mandate Market in Ilorin to activate measures to protect the public amid rumours of poisoned cow meat.’’
“Among the officials on the team were Toyosi Thomas-Adebayo, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development; Dr. Amina Ahmed El-Imam, the Commissioner for Health; representatives from the Ministry of Environment, including Mrs. Folorunsho Idayat, the Executive Secretary of the Kwara State Environmental Protection Agency; and representatives from the Ministry of Health, including Dr. Oluwatosin Fakayode, the Director of Public Health, and Permanent Secretary Alhaja Afusat Ibrahim.
“The government has immediately confiscated all the suspected meats after laboratory tests and confirmation of claims after initial engagements with the Mandate Market stakeholders in Ilorin the state capital on Sunday morning.
”Meanwhile, a preliminary investigation on the incident shows 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 the different abattoirs in the state, especially the private and government abattoirs.
According to Dr. Olugbon Abdullateef Saliman, Director of Veterinary Services, “all private slaughter slabs in the state in the ongoing, will have to reduce their number to the level that the ministry could manage” in his submission. Any slaughter slab whose meat passes inspection will not be permitted to be sold. The government slaughter slabs will be used for those that are closed down if the slaughter slab is not operating in accordance with our standards.
Additionally, any private slaughter slab that is in proximity to the public slab will be instructed to use the public slab for slaughter. We will be able to keep an eye on what they kill and distribute to the public by using this standard, the statement continued.
In response to reports of the market selling toxic cow meat, the state government on Sunday ordered the temporary closure of the abattoir at Mandate Market, Ilorin, in the Ilorin West Local Government Area of the state, until Wednesday.The government in a statement by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Dr Abubakar Ayinla also ordered the immediate general cleaning and fumigation of the area harbouring the abattoir so as to cleanse it of the suspected meat poisoning in the facility.
In a statement, Ayinla clarified that the actions were a part of the public protection measures taken in the wake of the suspected market sale of tainted, deadly cow meat.”Due to possible meat poisoning within the facility, the Kwara State Ministry of Environment has temporarily closed the abattoir at Mandate Market in Ilorin to allow for fumigation and general cleaning of the area.
“The permanent secretary emphasized that the actions are a part of the public safety measures taken in the wake of the incident.
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