From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
Luck ran out of some street traders on Tuesday when they attempted to sell suspected vulture meat at the premises of the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Owerri.
According to some students, the street traders numbering about seven were intercepted at the school gate while trying to enter the school premises with their product.
Although one of the students said they were certain what type of meat the hawkers were selling, there was a strong suspicion that the meat could be human parts or any unwholesome meat judging from the refusal of the sellers to taste the meat as required by the security personnel at the school gate.
‘We saw them carrying the meat which is dry and attempted to enter the school compound, but they were stopped by the guards. They asked them to taste the meat but they refused; there they suspected something must be fishy with the meat.’
Another eyewitness who narrated how a similar incident occurred at a popular market in another southeastern state said ‘this thing could be vulture meat, two people were beaten earlier this year inside a market for selling this kind of meat.
‘They were asked to taste it but they refused, which made the people around to mob them; they were lucky to be saved by the police. Guess what, they said they were selling vulture meat to the public,’ the source said.
The school authority has confirmed the incident and the matter according to its Public Relation Officer, Eva Nwosu, adding that the matter has been reported to the police for further investigation.
A memo released by the school’s spokesperson indicated that the meat hawkers from Aba in Abia State were caught at the school entrance by the guards carrying an ‘unwholesome meat’ without a permit to trade inside the school.
The statement by Nwosu cautioned the school community, particularly students, to only patronise food sellers duly certified by the school management.