Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
Ondo State government has suspended the sale of cow meat in four local government areas of the state as thunderstorm again killed eight cows in the area.
Environmental health officers in the four local governments announced the suspension to avoid the circulation of contaminated meat to unsuspecting members of public.
The mysterious thunderstorm was said to have struck the cows inside a bush at Ekanile area of Ikare in Akoko North East Local Government Area of the state.
Butchers were said to have brought the dead animals to Agborili area in the town where they were prepared for onward sale to members of the public.
The Director, Environmental Health, Akoko North East Local Government, Mrs Yemisi Adeniyi, who spoke on behalf of the other health officers in the area, said the government took the decision when information filtered out that herdsmen that owned the dead cows had invited butchers and sold the cows to them who in turn would sell the meat to members of public.
Adeniji, who said although the incident happened at Ikare, messages were sent to all environmental officers in the four local governments because they are connected.
She said the health officers had over time, being holding talks with butchers on the need to sell to the public only healthy meat.
The director said everybody knows that animals killed by thunderstorm are not good for human consumption.
She said the environmental team had impounded the remains of the cow from the people they found at the site for proper disposal.
The health officer said the dead animals would be treated in similar way that those that were killed in similar circumstance at Ijare town in Ifedore Local Government area of the state.
She therefore advised people in the area to avoid cow meat for some days in Akoko area to avoid consuming unhealthy meat.
Also speaking, the chairman of the butchers association in Ikare, Ismaila Kabiru said the association was working with environmental health officers to ensure that meat from the dead cows were not circulated.
Thunderstorm had last month killed 36 cows on the sacred groove of Oke Owa in Ijare town.