Concerns have been raised in Kwara State following reports of the sale of meat from 33 cows suspected to have died from poisoning at the Mandate Market in Ilorin, the state capital, News About Nigeria reports.
In response, the Kwara State Government has called for calm and initiated measures to address the issue.
The alert was raised by a group known as the ‘Kwara Monitoring Group (KMG)’, which issued an unsigned statement on Sunday, April 21, 2024.
The group drew the attention of the Commissioners for Environment and Health, as well as the Kwara Environmental Protection Agency, urging immediate action to prevent the sale of poisoned meat to unsuspecting consumers.
According to the statement from the KMG, the incident occurred along Atere Road, close to the College of Arabic and Islamic Studies in Ilorin.
The group expressed concern about the potential health risks posed by the consumption of tainted meat and called on the relevant authorities to intervene swiftly.
Responding to the situation, a statement from the Government House titled “Kwara govt team arrives at the mandate market and confiscates suspected beef,” jointly signed by the Commissioners for Health and Agriculture, Dr. Amina El-Imam and Toyosi Thomas Adebayo, respectively, confirmed that the government officials and experts had been dispatched to the mandate market.
The team, comprising officials from various ministries and agencies, including the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Health, arrived at the market to activate measures aimed at protecting public health.
Among the officials present were the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Toyosi Thomas-Adebayo, and the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Amina Ahmed El-Imam.
The government confiscated all suspected meat products for laboratory testing and verification of the claims.
While urging members of the public to remain calm, the government commended the leadership of the Mandate Market for their cooperation in addressing the situation.
It pledged to take appropriate action based on the outcome of the investigation into the rumoured sale of poisoned meat.
