By Correspondent in Lokoja.
Kogi State Government has advised residents in the state against consuming cow meat for at least one week ,following 20 cows said to have mysteriously died in Lokoja, the state capital.
The Director of Veterinary Services, Kogi Ministry of Agriculture, Dr Salau Tarawa, who gave the advice at a news conference in Lokoja on Thursday,
said the advice became necessary in view of the possibility that the deceased cows might have been ingested with poisonous substances while grazing.
He said though beef from some of the cows affected were with some taken to markets in Osara, Ajaokuta, to Obajana, to Kotonkarfe and to Kakanda for sale to members of the public but assured that the that of Lokoja had been recalled while efforts were to do same in other areas.
According to the Director, the ministry is collaborating with security agencies to bring the herders to question.
Also commenting on the issu, the Head, Agro Rangers Unit Kogi State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Bayode Emmanuel, said the cows were discovered in Lokoja.
“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,’’ he said.
Emmanuel assured that the NSCDC would investigate the development thoroughly to ascertain where the dead cows had grazed, with a view to preventing reoccure and possible sale as well as consumption of infected beef.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
