FOLLOWING the mysterious death of about 20 cows in Lokoja, the Kogi State Government has warned citizens to desist from eating beef.
The Director of Veterinary Services in the State’s Ministry of Agriculture Salau Tarawa gave the warning on Thursday amid concerns that the cows may have ingested poisonous substances.
He also raised the alarm that some of the cows have been pushed out to markets within the state.
Also speaking on the development, the Head of the Agro Rangers Unit, Kogi State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Bayode Emmanuel, said the cows were discovered in Lokoja.
He said the NSCDC would undertake a thorough investigation into the incident to avoid the sale and consumption of unwholesome meat.
“The cows emerged from the back of the state’s secretariat complex where they had gone to graze. All of a sudden, they started behaving funny, slumped and died within minutes.
“Upon interrogation, the herder said he was coming out with the cows after grazing when the incident happened,’’ Emmanuel said.
A similar incident occurred in 2020, and the government issued a ban on the sale of beef in the state for 48 hours.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via [email protected] or @ije_le on Twitter.