Enugu butchers attribute hike in meat price to Boko Haram

[MrVan]

By TONY EDIKE

ENUGU—THE newly elected Chairman of Enugu Butchers Association, Osita Nnamani-Mustapha, yesterday, attributed escalating prices of beef in the South East zone to activities of Boko Haram, in the Northern parts of the country.

He said the number of cows coming to the South East from the North had reduced drastically, owing to inability of the dealers to travel to the North for the business for fear of being maimed by the dreaded Islamic fundamentalists.

Nnamani-Mustapha, who was elected by the butchers, said the scarcity of cow had forced the prices up by about 60 percent.

"The major cause of high cost of meat in Enugu and other parts of the South East today is the current Boko Haram crisis in Northern parts of the country. The cows we slaughter here come from the North and due to the crisis in that part of the country which the Federal Government is battling to resolve, prices of cow have gone up.

"The butchers should not be blamed for the escalating price of beef because the cow we normally buy  between N140,000 and N150,000 now sells between N200,000 and N300,000. This is the situation now and it is very disturbing but in any case we have tried to ensure that the customers are not exploited," Nnamani-Mustapha said.

He assured members of the association that his administration would ensure equity and justice while doing their businesses.

Vanguard Nigeria