An Ilorin-based cleric, Abdullahi Nurudeen-Adana, has advised the Muslim faithful to come together in two or three and contribute money to buy a cow for sacrifice to arrest the current high cost of rams in various markets across the country.

Mr Nurudeen-Adana, the chairman of the Islamic Missionaries Association of Nigeria (IMAN) in llorin, gave the advice during an interview on Wednesday.

“Two or three Muslims can come together to contribute money to buy a fairly big cow that is of sound health for the festival,” Mr Nurudeen-Adana said.

The cleric, who described the cost of rams as prohibitive and unaffordable to several Muslims aspiring to perform the sacrifice, recommended buying cows as the best alternative.

According to the cleric, fairly big cows of sound health are fully qualified to be used for the Eid-el-Kabir sacrifice.

He warned Muslims against engaging in any negative acts of slaughtering rams, stating that it was not compulsory for those who could not afford it.

Although there were rams of various sizes at some ram markets visited by a correspondent in some parts of the Ilorin metropolis on Wednesday, most prospective buyers could not afford their prices.

The biggest rams at various markets were between N220,000 to N250,000, while the fairly big ones were sold between N150,000 to 180,000, and the smaller ones attracted N85,000 to N120,000.

A ram seller, Abdullahi Olufadi, attributed the high cost of diesel used to transport animals to llorin to the increase in prices of rams.

He lamented that sellers of rams had been recording low sales as several buyers could not afford the prices. 

(NAN)