The police command in Borno has convened a high-level stakeholder engagement to strengthen monitoring and compliance with public health and food safety standards, as part of sustained measures to curb the sale of meat from dead animals.

According to a statement on Thursday by the command’s spokesman, Nahum Daso, the engagement followed the recent arrest of five suspects allegedly linked to the processing and distribution of animal carcasses in the state capital.

The police commissioner, Naziru Abdulmajid, who led the command’s management team at the meeting, said the initiative aimed to checkmate activities capable of endangering public health.

Mr Abdulmajid restated the critical roles of regulatory agencies, traditional institutions and community structures in preventing the processing, distribution and sale of meat from animals found dead or unfit for human consumption.

He called for stronger inter-agency collaboration, timely information sharing and coordinated surveillance at slaughterhouses, abattoirs and meat-processing facilities to ensure strict adherence to established standards.

Mr Abdulmajid also stressed the need for sustained public enlightenment on the health risks associated with consuming unwholesome meat.

Stakeholders at the meeting commended the command for convening the engagement and pledged readiness to collaborate in strengthening monitoring mechanisms and safeguarding public health.

Mr Abdulmajid reiterated the command’s commitment to working with relevant agencies to protect lives and ensure offenders are dealt with in accordance with the law.

He urged the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities relating to the slaughter, processing, transportation or sale of unwholesome meat to the nearest police station or regulatory authority.

(NAN)