A truck loaded with livestock was said to have been involved in an accident in the early hours of Sunday at the New Era Junction in Jalingo, the Taraba State Capital.
The truck, which departed Ganye in the nearby Adamawa State, was said to be heading to the cattle market in Abia State when the accident occurred in Taraba.
Apart from two passengers who died in the accident, over 50 livestock were also confirmed to have perished on the spot.
It was learnt that some butchers stole meat from the scene of the accident.
The butchers were alleged to have carted away several cows that died on the spot.
Piqued by the alleged action of some of their members, the Secretary of the Taraba Association of Butchers, Masaudu Ibrahim, said the organisation will work round the clock to fish out those that indulged in the act.
Ibrahim added that the association would punish any butcher found selling animals that were not slaughtered in the abbatoir.
According to him, the association would ensure that the dead animals taken from the scene of the accident don’t make it to the market.
Also speaking, the driver of the vehicle, Mohammed Ahmed, denied the allegation that he was sleeping when the accident occurred.
“We left Ganye in Adamawa State without any hitch. Shortly after we passed the flyover, I discovered that the steering locked itself. I tried all I could to manipulate it but all to no avail. I was not sleeping as speculated by some people,” he said.
He however lamented the attitude of some residents who, instead of assisting the victims, went ahead to steal some of the livestock.
Noting that the traders in the vehicle lost several millions of Naira, he pleaded with the Taraba State government to come to their aid.
