Rams sold in unapproved markets will be confiscated- FCTA

The Federal Capital Territory Administration has issued a warning to cattle sellers operating along major road corridors in the city to stop or face repercussions.

The chairman of the FCT Ministerial Sanitary City Taskforce, Ikharo Attah, warned when he led a team in Dutse Alhaji’s Abuja to launch an illegally operated ram market.

The FCT Administration, according to Attah, would seek confiscation orders against offenders in court.

He recalled that the FCTA had previously raided the market, warning that rams discovered in illicit markets would be impounded and their owners prosecuted.

He said, “We want to get the ram sellers organised, but we found out that people appear not to be willing to sell rams in an organised manner.

“We have given them points where they can sell rams so that those who want to buy will do so and sacrifice to Allah, in line with the teachings of Islam.

“But to our utmost shock, some persons just want to do what they like and they went to Dutse Alhaji, around the Public Service Institute, to create a ram market which we had sacked in 2019.”

Attah warned that anyone interested in selling rams in the city must do that only in designated areas.

He added, “We have Dei-Dei ram market, Kugbo ram market and all the abattoirs in Abuja, which also have ram markets attached and some designated selling points in the city centre.

“We will be confiscating rams that people bring and sell on unapproved areas and we will be taking them to court to seek forfeiture order.

“When we get orders, we will give all the rams we seized to orphanages and less-privileged people to use for their Sallah celebrations.”

Mr. Kaka Bello, the Abuja Environmental Protection Board’s Head of Monitoring and Inspection, also spoke out against the reintroduction of ram vendors on city highways.

Bello said that the FCTA would re-enforce evacuation order on the illegal market.

“If you remember, some years back there was an illegal market there. We just received information that the ram market is back.

“Having removed the market before now, we warned the ram sellers not to comeback there but unfortunately we received information that they have commenced selling of rams there.

“That is why we are here to make sure that we remove them and prosecute them but when we got there they had already left but we will keep on monitoring.’’

He told the livestock sellers to move to designated markets, warning that the FCTA would not condone situations where people took advantage of festive periods to litter streets and road corridors with livestock.