The Oyo State government yesterday said it had filed a suit against operators of unlicensed and unauthorised abattoirs in Ibadan, the state capital.
The government said an interim order issued by the State High Court was executed by its Sheriff on June 22 to seal off abattoirs at Bodija and Aleshinloye markets as well as several other such unlicensed abattoirs in the Ibadan metropolis.
The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Oluseun Abimbola, also said the government constituted a task force to enforce the butchers’ relocation to the central abattoir at Amosun Village in Akinyele Local Government Area.
The commissioner said the task force has officials of the police, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Department of State Services (DSS), ministries of Environment, Agriculture, Physical Planning and Bureau of Investment Promotions.
Abimbola said the government decided to relocate the abattoirs in Ibadan to curb what he called “the unhealthy process of slaughtering of animals, offer of dead, sick and unwholesome animals in various markets, backyard slaughter slabs and many contraptions and make-shift slaughter houses in unhealthy environment with obnoxious practices”.
The commissioner recalled that the state government, in partnership with the private sector, established a 3,000-per-day capacity mechanised slaughter facility at Amosun village as a viable and modern facility for all abattoir services.
According to him, said the government regretted that after giving the butchers four years to wind up and pay no taxes, the Ministry of Agriculture noted that “some unscrupulous persons among the butchers’ union in Oyo State, rather than wind up, were in fact establishing new slaughter locations in unhygienic environment with no certification of government, no veterinary presence for inspection of animals for slaughter, nor approval of the said abattoirs by relevant authorities of government”.
Abimbola said: “For the last five years, the Ministry of Agriculture has engaged all stakeholders in a bid to ensure cooperation of all parties with the new initiative meant to assure the populace of the quality of cattle meat and other animals offered for sale in our markets.
“The private sector investment company, the state government, local government areas, the local council development areas (LCDAs) in Ibadan and the state chapter of the National Butchers Association held several meetings in the last three years, leading to the final take-off of this initiative by the signing of a global Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the parties by which the equity participation of all stakeholders were agreed, implementation plans accepted and commencement confirmed.
“In 2014, the state government gave all abattoirs in Ibadan a year to wind up their activities and relocate their slaughter operations to the new state-of-the-art abattoir at Amosun village. Since then, the state had ceased to collect due rates and taxes from all abattoirs in Ibadan to encourage compliance and ensure that the operators wind up and comply with the meat law of Oyo State which makes it illegal for anyone to operate any slaughter slab, abattoir or slaughter house without the authority and licence of government.
“Regrettably, even after giving the butchers four years to wind up without paying taxes, the Ministry of Agriculture observed that some unscrupulous persons among the butchers’ union in Oyo State, rather than wind up, established new slaughter locations in an unhygienic environment with no certification by the government, no veterinary presence for inspection of animals for slaughter nor approval of the abattoirs by relevant authorities of government.
“This compelled the state to file the legal action against the operation of such illegally operating abattoirs… The Oyo State High Court had issued an interim order of injunction restraining the continued operations of all unlicensed and illegal abattoirs in Ibadan and a mandatory order authorising the Ministry of Agriculture to seal such places forthwith pending the determination of the suit.
“The order was executed on June 22 by the Sherriff of the High Court who sealed up Bodija market abattoir, Aleshinloye marker abattoir, and several other such unlicensed abattoirs in Ibadan…”
“However, as soon as the court Sherriff and police left some of these locations, sealing them and pasting the court seal, orders and processes there, the operators mobilised to breach and break the seal of court to resume their illegal activities, particularly at the Bodija market.”
Abimbola added that during Tuesday’s proceedings, the court warned the parties to keep the peace and abide by the subsisting court order and avoid what can lead to contempt.
