The National President of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Baba Ngelzarma, has urged herders to avoid taking their animals to the Niger Republic and Burkina Faso borders in their quest for green pasture in order to curtail the spread of the deadly anthrax disease.
Ngelzarma stated that since Ghana, where the first case of the anthrax disease was recorded earlier in the year, shares a boundary with Burkina Faso, it would not be difficult for it to get to Niger Republic, which shares a boundary with Yobe State.
He said, “You know Yobe shares borders with Niger Republic. We hereby call on the attention of all states that are sharing borders with Niger Republic to take proactive measures so that we don’t cause a crisis.
“The first case of the disease occurred in Ghana. Burkina Faso shares borders with Ghana and also with Niger. With the movements of pastoralists, if this thing goes to one country like Burkina Faso, it can easily come into Nigeria.
“We have already spoken to our branches in those states to draw their attention to their state government to take immediate proactive measures to forestall any emergency.”
The Federal Government had last Monday confirmed a case of anthrax in a farm in Niger State.
On Saturday, cases of the disease were recorded in two communities in Plateau State, causing some residents in Benue to panic.
The state government disclosed this in a statement signed by the Director of Press and Public Affairs, Gyang Bere, and made available to journalists.
Ngelzarma, in an interview with The PUNCH on Sunday, said the association was taking all necessary measures to curtail the spread of the disease in the country, adding that herders must take precautions to make sure they do not go across borders indiscriminately for their grazing needs.
He said, “We call on all our branches in the 36 states to be on alert. We have also organised sensitisation programmes for our members on how to detect this disease.
“We are speaking to our members in Benue to safeguard their borders as we have learnt that the disease is in Plateau. We will not take any chances. Anthrax is a deadly disease.
“The FCT has taken measures to procure vaccination against the disease occurrence in the FCT. The Yobe State government has also released some money to get some vaccination.”
