Army And Hausa Community Disagrees Over Alleged 400 Slaughtered Cows In Edo State

THE Joint Task Force code named "Operation Thunderstorm" in Edo State, last weekend, disagreed with the comment by the chairman of the Cattle Dealers Association in the state, Alhaji Saad Ahmed, who alleged that over 400 of their cows were illegally slaughtered by hoodlums during the last week's subsidy removal protest.

Alhaji Ahmed had lamented that hoodlums have been killing their cows and appealed to the Oba of Benin to intervene.

But when the state Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole visited the Hausa community last week in company of the Commander of the 4th Brigade, Benin City, Brigadier General Abel Umahi, the issue was raised and Alhaji Ahmed failed to prove that such numbers of cows were killed illegally.

An Army source said: "We are shocked to read that such number of cows were missing because when the Governor and the Commander visited them the Governor challenged them to go and show the bush where the cows were kept before they were stolen and none of them could prove it.

"The only incident that happened was when they reported that some body was trying to steal a cow. We intervened and the person was even wounded. That person is still in the hospital now. So it is not true that 400 cows were missing."

The spokesman of the Army in the state, Cap.Muhammed Jajira, is quoted as saying:

"if actually the cows were missing at least we would have found them in the bushes by now because every where is calm. I don't think that allegation is true because they were given security".