The monarch of Akungba Akoko in the Akoko South West Local Government Area of Ondo State, Oba Sunday Ajimo, has warned his subjects not to consume dead cow meat as 30 animals died mysteriously in the community.

The monarch stated that he had earlier instructed butchers and other concerned persons not to sell the dead cows to the residents as the meat would be inimical to their health, adding that any meat merchant caught selling the meat of the dead cows would be prosecuted.

“The cows were seen falling down mysteriously. Some said they drank water suspected to have been poisoned or that they ate poisoned plants. I have given instructions that the cows should not be sold under any circumstance since the cause of death is not known yet,” the monarch stated.

He added that health officials from the local government council had been notified of the incident for appropriate action.

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It was learnt that the incident happened around 8pm on Monday at the residence of the owner of the cows near the A.U.D Secondary School in the community.

According to a source, the cows were taken out for grazing in the afternoon and returned to the camp in the evening, but few hours after their return, they were found dead.

The source said, “The cows must have eaten poison during grazing, because it was shortly after their return that 30 of the cows in the herd started slumping and dying.

“When the owner of the cows, Ibrahim Saliu, also known as Baba Saliu, saw the dead cows, he raised the alarm to inform neighbours around him about the incident.”

Efforts to reach Saliu were not successful as his telephone line indicated that it was unavailable.