Economic headwinds have swept through Nigeria’s livestock market, with rising costs of goods and services driving up prices of cows and other livestock, at the popular Kara cattle market along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway as well as itother major cities in the country.
It was the eve of the Eid-ul-Adha celebration and the development has tempered with the usual excitement that Sallah brings, even as the chaos occasioned by last-minute sales and purchases at these centres have diminished.
Consequently buyers and sellers are caught in a bind, with many struggling to cope with the increased prices, metrobusinessnews.com investigation has revealed.
A flock of sheep bleated helplessly as loaders pulled them towards a waiting truck. On the highway, horns blared as some vehicles parked on the surface course of the road waiting to convey some cows, rams, and goats tethered around the solid line, ground vehicular movement on both lanes of the expressway to a halt.
A few metres away, Alhaji Ibrahim Suleiman stared at the sea of livestock in the market in bewilderment. He stood, arms akimbo, as he pondered his next move.
Since his retirement, Suleiman had resolved to live with his family on a moderate budget to enable them to cope with the biting economic reality in Nigeria, but the cost of returning home without a ram worried him.
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“The rams this year are very costly, I budgeted ₦500,000 for two rams but with what I’m seeing now, I have to change my budget. I am willing to buy if they will sell two rams for ₦550,000, otherwise, I’ll have to go home, look for additional money, and return tomorrow,” he lamented.
“Last year, I bought two rams for ₦450,000 and they were very big. The sellers say they are bringing the rams from Niger Republic and they said their government over there closed the border stopping the rams from coming to Nigeria and making the ones available very expensive,” he added.
Suleiman’s situation was a bit better than many ither Muslim faithful, who were roaming the market, leaving muddy footprints of frustration behind over the high cost of livestock required for the Sallah celebration on Friday, June 6, and Monday, June 9, 2025, declared as public holidays by the Federal Government.
For Habeeb Abubakar, the general high cost of living has extinguished the low income earners from reckoning, noting that most of them are merely existing, as they are not able to performs some obligations durto lack of money as well as the lownpurchasing power of the naira, which has madenprices to skyrocket.
Another person, left every5hing to fate, but decried the present hardship, while calling on government and other spirited individuals who have the means to assist the poor in realising partbof their life ambitions.
High Transportation Cost
However, traders blamed the yearly surge in the prices of cattle and other livestock on a number of factors. A Special Assistant to the head of the Kara Cattle Market, Hamza Saidu, noted that this year, the prices increased by over 80 per cent compared with that of last year.
“Comparing the prices of this year with that of last year, the prices are very high. The difficulty is very high this year. Almost 85 per cent compared with last year,” he said.
An average-sized cow at the market, according to Saidu, is sold at almost ₦500,000, while the smallest size costs ₦350,000. An average-sized ram costs ₦350,000, with the smallest selling for ₦250,000.
According to Saidu, added to the challenges is the rising cost of transportation which increased the cost of moving livestock from the northern part of the country to Lagos by 400 per cent. Since the removal of fuel subsidy by President Bola Tinubu during his inauguration in May 2023, the pump price of premium motor spirit, popularly known as petrol, increased from less than ₦500 per litre to ₦875 in Lagos and between ₦895 and ₦905 in the North.
“There is an increase in price this year which is due to transportation. Transporting the animals from the North down to Lagos used to be ₦500,000 but now, it costs as much as ₦2 million to convey 25 cows from the North down to Lagos. The cost of feeding the animals is also another factor, Saidu explained.”
Traders Unwilling To Budge
A nurse, Taofeek Anifowose, who stopped by the market on his way from work to make a purchase, decried the adverse impact of the economy and the decision of most sellers not to shift ground.
“I have been haggling with the sellers for some rams here and the price is on the high side, ranging from ₦350,000 to ₦400,000. But I came to the market with a budget of between ₦250,000 to ₦300,000.
“I have been trying to negotiate the price but the sellers are not giving room for negotiation. I’m still going to walk around the market hoping to get a ram within my budget.
“The government should bring back the fuel subsidy; that’s the first thing the government should do for its citizens,” Anifowose told our reporter.
Anifowose also called on the government to consider regulating the prices of livestock to reduce the possibility of arbitrary increases by sellers during festive periods.
“There should be an organisation that should look into price regulation. The prices of commodities were normalising but as soon as the festive period drew close, the sellers chose to inflate prices knowing people would buy them,” he added.
Mokwa Flood Disaster
Cattle dealers at the market also attributed the increase in the prices of livestock to the flood that rocked communities in the Mokwa Local Government Area of Niger State.
Mokwa was hit by a devastating flood following torrential rains that began in the late hours of Wednesday, May 28, 2025, and continued into Thursday. Over 200 bodies have been recovered with thousands displaced by the disaster.
Our correspondent gathered that a lot of trailers carrying cattle were stuck in Mokwa due to the flood.
“They cannot come into Lagos. The ones that are supposed to go to the North to bring cattle to Lagos cannot go because of the Mokwa flood. This has also led to an increase in the price of cattle,” Saidu said.
The Chairman of Mile 12 International Market in Lagos, Shehu Usman, echoed Saidu’s stance, noting that drivers had to use a different route, causing extra time and expenses.
Low Patronage, Financial Loss
Usman also lamented the poor patronage this year due to the price of cattle, fearing a huge financial loss.
Usman heads the Mile 12 International Market in Lagos.
“Most of our trucks were trapped in Mokwa where that incident happened. So, they had to divert to another road to come to Lagos which has taken a long time.
“You can see that there are not many rams in the market, compared to last year, and there are no buyers.
“It is terrible, terrible in the sense that I’m very sure we’re going to lose a lot of money. Moreso, the truck conveying the animals arrived in Lagos very late,” he lamented.
Olarenwaju Kehinde was spotted in a shop filled with bags of animal feed. With her chin resting on her right palm, it was clear that all was not well as the low sale of livestock has also taken a toll on her business.
Kehinde, who spoke reluctantly, daid that her sales are dependent on the sale of cattle.
“The market is not ‘moving.’ You can see the high number of cows here. Many buyers have been coming but as soon as they are told the prices, most of them leave without buying.
“Last year, I sold almost 300 bags in one month but this year, I have not sold up to 100 bags since May,” she retorted.
Kehinde, an animal feed seller at the Kara cattle market, says sales haven’t been encouraging.
Cattle Rustling
Several communities in the North have come under attacks by cattle rustlers, a situation, Saidu said has left livestock dealers to count their losses.
“Cattle rustling is also another challenge. The bandits will go to a particular village, gather all the cattle, and run away with them and no one will know their whereabouts.
“The majority of the people lose their lives and cattle. People who used to own cattle and were feeding conveniently are now begging because of the activities of bandits.
“I know a number of people that have lost their cattle to bandits. The government should step in to handle the situation,” he said.
On May 16, 2025, it was reported that troops of 6 Brigade Nigerian Army/ Sector 3 Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), in collaboration with troops of Operation Safe Haven, neutralised two bandits and recovered about 1,000 cattle in Taraba State and neighbouring Plateau State.
The attackers were said to have launched a cattle rustling operation targeting a Fulani settlement near Jebjeb Village in the Karim Lamido Local Government Area (LGA) of Taraba State.
In Katsina, an unspecified number of rustled cattle were said to have been recovered from the bandits during an operation by troops of the 17 Brigade Strike Group of the Nigerian Army, who carried out a deliberate attack on a terrorist enclave as part of the ongoing kinetic phase of Operation Forest Sanity III (OPFS III).
Lamenting the challenges faced by cattle dealers, the Chairman of Mile 12 International Market in Lagos, Shehu Usman, said, “You can recall that the Nigerien leader said he would not allow Nigeriens to bring their rams and cows to any other country, not even Nigeria.
“They are not moving their cows and rams from Niger to anywhere. I don’t know why he took that decision, it’s a very wrong decision anyway.”
‘Don’t Lose Hope’- Tinubu Encourages Nigerians
Meanwhile, in his Eid-el-Kabir message to Nigerians, which he signed on Thursday, President Tinubu appealed to Nigerians not to lose hope, despite the economic hardship.
Tinubu said, “Though the journey has not been easy, and some doubted our direction, the resilience of public and private sector leaders, along with the steadfast support of most Nigerians, is yielding results. I assure you that the toughest days are behind us. We are entering a new era of renewed hope and prosperity that we promised two years ago.
“We may not yet be where we aspire to be, but I urge all Nigerians not to lose hope. Let us hold on to our faith and persevere. Our reforms are gaining traction, with key economic indicators now moving in a positive direction. Soon, all will feel the benefits.”
‘Inflation Easing’
On the second anniversary of his administration on May 29, 2025, the President said that despite the bump in the cost of living, his government had made “undeniable progress”.
According to him, while implementing the reforms necessary to strengthen the economy and deliver shared prosperity, his administration remained honest by acknowledging some of the difficulties experienced by Nigerian families.
The President said, “Inflation has begun to ease, with rice prices and other staples declining. The oil and gas sector is recovering; rig counts are up by over 400 per cent in 2025 compared to 2021, and over $8 billion in new investments have been committed. We have stabilised our economy and are now better positioned for growth and prepared to withstand global shocks.”
