Kwara shuts abattoir over suspicious poisoned meat
By Dele Moses, Ilorin
Kwara State Government has shut the abattoir at the popular Mandate Market in Ilorin to check sale of poisoned cow meat at the abattoir.
The government took the action as there was rumour on Sunday that beefs from the abattoir are poisoned.
The government said the shutting down of the facility was temporary and that it was only taken to ensure that the abattoir is well fumigated to guard meat there against being poisoned.
Permanent secretary of the state’s Ministry of Environment, Abubakar Ayinla, who explained in a statement that the ministry shut the abattoir to protect health of members of the public, added that the facility would be reopened on Wednesday.
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Ayinla disclosed that on the team of the government functionaries that visited the abattoir were the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Toyosi Thomas-Adebayo; Commissioner for Health Dr. Amina El-Imam; officials from the Ministry of Environment, including the Executive Secretary of the Kwara State Environmental Protection Agency, Folorunsho Idayat, and officials from the Ministry of Health including the Permanent Secretary, Afusat Ibrahim, and the Director of Public Health Dr. Oluwatosin Fakayode, among others.
He said the government has confiscated all the suspected meat for laboratory tests and confirmation of claims after initial engagements of the officials with the Mandate Market stakeholders.
The statement said the Kwara government urged members of the public to be calm while the team establishes the truth of the rumour of poisoned meat.
It said the government also commended the leadership of the market for their cooperation.