Abdullahi Idris, a herder and father of six, had a terrible Saturday after losing around thirty-two cows to lightning strikes in Osara, a community in the Obantoko region of Abeokuta, in the Odeda Local Government area of Ogun State.
The black cloud was the first thing to appear, followed by the wind’s constant whistling. Given that it’s the rainy season, everyone thought the rain was typical.
Unfortunately, it turned into a tragedy when, at around 12 p.m., thunderstorms killed 32 large cows valued at approximately N32 million.
The town is still in shock over the never-to-have-occurred event, thus the June 22 incident is still vivid in their memories.
Idris, the owner of the cows, described the incident as strange, lamenting that his only source of livelihood had been lost.
His words, “This has never happened before in all of my existence until now. Yes, I do hear about it on the radio but never witnessed it until now.
“There are only 4 small cows amidst them, the rest are about 1-1.5million naira each, multiplying this by 30 something cows, it is not small money.”
The herder begged the state government to come to his rescue, saying the cows were all he hoped on and the only property he had.
“I am begging the government because this doesn’t belong to just me. I have 8 siblings and 6 children. These cows are all we hoped for, our property, nothing else. All my children are still school-goers and this is what I use in sending them to school,” Idris added in an emotion – laden voice.
The god of thunder and lightning (Sango) was angry?
Although there are conflicting theories on the occurrences, the
According to Oba Ololade Sunday, Oba Isegun General of Ewekoro Local Government, the episode was a sign of anger from Sango, the Yoruba deity of lightning and thunder.
According to The Intercept , Sango is mostly connected to fire, thunder, and lightning.
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The double-headed axe, which symbolises his quick and well-rounded judgement, is his emblem.
Oba Sunday stated that as it just involved animals and not people, there was no need for concern.
He cautioned everyone to be caution, nevertheless, stating that the incident implied that there was a questionable activity occurring in the area.
“The traditions have existed before our forefathers, and it’s real.
“The meaning is that the god of thunder, we call him Sango…there is something around that area that is fishy that annoys the god of thunder.
“If it strikes a human being with those cows, there would be a calamity. The worshippers of the god of thunder would be the one to do the burial with the sacrifice, if not you would see numbers of people in that vicinity dying.
“But since it’s an animal there’s not much case to answer, there is no cause for alarm, everyone should just be careful,” he warned.
It’s a natural occurrence – Ogun Official
Kehinde Adeyemi, the Director of Water Supply and Environmental Sanitation in Odeda Local Government, maintained that the incident was a natural occurrence.
According to Adeyemi, nothing exceptional would be linked because a thunder strike may happen at any time.
She said, “As far as public health is concerned, we don’t attach any extraordinary thing to what happened here.
“Thunder strikes can occur any time. It is a natural occurrence or disaster that can happen at any time.”
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Assuring the public that every attempt was being made to prevent the spread of infectious illnesses, she disclosed that, contrary to the 32 cows reported, only 28 carcasses were discovered and would be buried.
“Immediately the case was heard, we swung into action. We are here to contain the spread of communicable diseases as a result of the death of the cows.
“According to our calculations, we can only count 28, we only saw 28 and they are going to be buried here.
“We pray that in no time everything will be put under control,” she stated.
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She noted that the officers on ground had already carried out decontamination, disinfection and all other public health duties regarding environmental health.
“Before the burial of the carcass, the officer had poured in the lime and the tractor would put the carcass inside the pit we dug, after that we would introduce other chemicals before we cover it and after that, the general decontamination process would be done to prevent any disease,” the Director concluded.
No issues between herders and community members – CDA Chairman
Osikoya Ademola, the chairman of the Community Development Association, or CDA, has insisted that there was no animosity or disagreement between the herders and locals that might have fuelled animosity or played a role in the disaster.
Ademola acknowledged that they had always been kind despite their complaints about the flies and other unpleasant smells emanating from the grazing pasture.
“I am shocked because it is regrettable and I have never witnessed such a catastrophe in this setting since I began overseeing the CDAs,” he added.
“Although we have been complaining to them that the environment is now evolving, we asked them to evacuate this place and go extra mile because most people that live close complain about flies and others.
“That has been the major thing we complain about, but we don’t have anything against them or issues that would have caused a grudge or anything leading to this”.
He lamented that following the incident, the environment had not been conducive and called on the state government to intervene.
Ogun Speaker calls for State Government intervention
Oludaisi Elemide, the speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, called the tragedy regrettable and noteworthy, stating that the cows were in the line of the lightning and that it was a natural occurrence.
Elemide expressed sympathy to the cow’s owner and asked the state government to investigate the event so that the owner would not have to bear as much financial strain.
He said, “It’s rather unfortunate, 32 big cows were affected and they all died on the spot. I think they were grazing and it coincided that they were in the path of the lightning.
“It’s not a Fulani settlement or a Yoruba settlement. It’s in a bush and I feel it’s a natural occurrence.
“Since we believe it’s a natural occurrence, the state government via the relevant agencies should come to their aid.
“We are not saying they should pay for all the cows but something must be done by the state.”
He maintained that all hands must be on deck, urging relevant authorities to do all they can to prevent the outbreak of cholera or epidemic in the area.
The speaker, however, implored members of the public to remain calm, saying, “There is no conflict between Yorubas and herders in that area. Even the Fulani’s involved are not the foreigners, they were born here, built houses and even inter-married, so there is no conflict between the indigenes”.
Chairman of Odeda local government, Folashade Adeyemo, while thanking God that no life was lost in the process, assured members of the communities that immediate actions will be taken to ensure evacuation of the carcass.
