Again, lightning kills 8 cows in Ondo, herdsmen arrested

Barely a month after thunderbolt was said to have killed over 30 cows at Ijare in Ifedore Local Government Area of Ondo State, lightning has was said to have struck again. This time around, it was said to have killed eight cows at Ikare-Akoko in Akoko North East Local Government Area of the state.

It was gathered that the incident, which happened at Ekan quarters of the town on Tuesday, was planned to be concealed by the herdsmen, who owned the cows with the intent of allegedly selling the meat to unsuspecting public to minimise their loss.

The herdsmen were said to have roasted some and started selling some to butchers fresh in Akoko area before they were caught.

Meanwhile, the Ondo State Government has banned sales of cow meat allegedly struck to death by thunderstorm in Ikare-Akoko.

The Director of Environmental Health Services in Akoko North-East Local Government, Mrs Yemisi Adeniyi and her counterpart from Akoko Northwest, Mr Ojo Anthony, said they had arrested some butchers from taking the cow meat to markets.

The environmentalists, who mobilised other experts on Thursday morning to the scene of the incident, seized the cow meat for immediate fumigation.

The health experts, therefore, cautioned the people of Akoko to stay away from cow meat in the next few days to avoid consumption of such traditionally and medically cow meat allegedly killed by the thunderstorm.

Also speaking, the Chairman of Butchers’ Association in Ikare, Mr Kabiru Ismaila, said he was working with government’s environmental health officials to ensure such cow meat was not sold in Akoko markets in the next few days.