The Plateau State Government has denied reports that a strange disease killed 1,000 cows.
Social media posts and some news outlets had reported that the deaths occurred in four days in villages across the Mangu Local Government Area of the state.
Reacting, the Plateau State Government, in a statement by the Director of Press and Public Affairs to the Governor, Gyang Bere, said the story was untrue.
According to the statement, the said story is far from the truth, as it does not reflect the reality of happenings in the communities mentioned conspicuously in the story, adding that there was no such incident in any part of Mangu and the government has not received information about the mass death of animals from any of the communities mentioned in the reports.
It said the story is based on hearsay, and no credible source has authenticated the story, which has created tension in the affected communities.
The government assured Plateau residents that a team of epidemiologists had been sent to the communities on Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang’s instruction to ascertain the truth of the story to prevent loss of lives.
However, there are two suspected cases of anthrax disease in two communities in the state. The samples have been taken to National Veterinary Research Institute Vom for thorough assessment and further investigation.