Expensive rams: How banditry, insecurity have affected cost of livestock

OLAKUNLE MARUF reports that rams may not be in short supply during the coming Sallah celebrations next weekend, but they won’t come cheap due to a number of factors, noting that despite the situation some rich people already have their supply secured no matter the cost.

IT is no news that the Holy pilgrimage to Mecca this year would not happen as it has been restricted to those within Saudi Arabia. However, the killing of rams as a significant sacrifice during the annual festival would take place all the same

Usually, the northern part of the country provides the bulk of the rams to be slaughtered across the country, but socio-economic problems such as banditry and the Boko Haram insurgency have greatly impacted on its ability to keep up with the supply of rams.

Arewa Live visited major areas of rams markets to see how things are faring.

At Bale market in Gudu Local Government, 200 kilometres from Sokoto which is a big ram market, the usual hustle and bustle was non-existent. One of the livestock traders in the market, Mallam Usman Abubakar, decried the high cost of ram in the market of recent which he ascribed to multiple attacks by bandits in the Northern part of the country who often steal hundreds of animals whenever they attack.

“The high cost of ram in this market as far as I know is because bandits have done more damage than good to our people. Most of the people that bring goods here for sale have either been killed or sent out of the business.

“The rate at which those bandits have attacked and killed our people cannot be easily explained.

“If you know how this market used to be bubbly during this period, you will not only pity us but the country also. The situation has further revealed that we are losing more and more people to this senseless killing.

“These unfortunate occurrences have turned this market to a ghost town when you look at the number of people gathered here. Banditry has in no small way contributed to the insecurity in this part of the country.

“I want to appeal to the federal and state governments to do their best to end banditry and animal rustling in the country.”

Mallam Haruna Abdulaziz, a ram buyer for Sallah lamented the situation of things, attributing it to insecurity.

“Most of our people that came from Ibadan, Lagos, Ilorin, among others couldn’t come this year due to the high price of the animals this year.

“The ram that usually goes for about N30,000 or N35,000 now goes for between N45,000 and N50,000; it is that bad.

“With the present economic situations in the country and the COVID-19 pandemic, how do we make a headway?

“Most people cannot even afford the initial price, not to talk of the current high price,” he added.

In Wamakko, another town in Sokoto State. things were a little better, but it was a similar state of complaints galore.

A market leader, Abdullahi Lawali, said: “The economic situation has affected our business in a bad way as things are getting worse on daily basis. Some of us had taken loans in order to take the advantage of the market, only for us to come and witness terrible situation.

“We can only pray that God would make things better. Government should also start payments of workers’ salaries to encourage more patronage.

Also speaking, Mr Ajisafe Olayemi, a livestock trader said the situation was worrisome when compared with previous years. Olayemi, who resides in Osun State but travels across the Northern for business also decried the situation.

He ascribed it to insecurity adding: “I used to go to the North-Eastern part of the Country like Borno, Yobe, Gombe among others. It is unfortunate that this year, I have to restrict myself to Sokoto State for my needs, not even a state like Katsina, Kano or Kaduna.

“Most of my customers are seriously complaining of the cost. A ram we expected to buy for N30,000 is going for N40,000 or more.

“I don’t even know what to do now. Some of them have told me I should just get them what their money could afford.

“Some were even pleading with me as if I was the one who caused the increment.

At Acida international cattle markets, the situation was a bit different but rams were still costly but despite that, trailer loads of rams heading to Lagos were being loaded.

A man loading the traders told ArewaLive that the rams were meant for top politicians in Lagos who would promptly pay for them despite the cost.

The harsh economic situation is not limited to Sokoto. In Zamfara State the cost of foodstuffs and other commodities have skyrocketed.

Arewa Live investigations showed that the prices of some food items like rice, maize, millet, corn, tomatoes and other items, there prices have gone up.

Several civil servants spoken to said the cost of rams were prohibitive and they could not afford them.

A civil servant, Yahaya Abdullahi, retorted when we spoke to him:”but how can someone celebrate Eid-el-Kabir comfortably without money. We have not started enjoying minimum wage of N30,000 yet.”

In Anguwa-Uku market in Kano, the few rams and goats on display were costly. Malam Yusuf Magaji a ram seller said traders could not travel far to source for their rams due to COVID-19.

“Rams are costly these days. Most people who resolve to go for rams may be forced to come together to buy a cow and share it due to the high price.

Even the popular Hadejia road where rams are usually on display every Eid-el-Kabir festival period was a shadow of itself. Not only were rams fewer they were costlier than they were last year.

Alhaji Kuru Ibrahim, a ram trader at the market said he had to travel a long distance before he got his stock.

“We were unable to travel this year because of COVID-19, this automatically made us to source for rams locally,” he said.

In finding a way around the problem of costly rams, Alhaji Tau Abubakar said he would buy whatever was affordable, while Alfa Bimbo Ibrahim said instead of buying a ram he would team up with his friends to buy a cow and shared it.

Malam Ahmed Idris, an Islamic Scholar in Kebbi State blames the high cost of rams on COVID-19, just as the market scene underscored this as rams went for between N47,000 and N120,000 respectively depending on their sizes.

—Additional stories by ATTAHIRU AHMED, KOLA OYELERE, AYODELE AJOGE.

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