Dangerous dog breeds flood Nigeria amid dormant regulatory laws

Nigerians were shocked after seeing a video on social media showing the lifeless body of a security guard, who three mastiff-type dogs killed on November 5, 2024. Reports had it that the dogs strayed from their owner’s compound and attacked the guard on night duty at Pinnock Estate, Ilasan, in the Lekki area of Lagos. The owner of the dogs, Salisu Mustapha, was immediately arrested. At the same time, the K-9 unit of the police force confiscated the dogs consisting of two South African Booerboel Mastiffs and a Cane Corso.

In 2014, four-year-old Omoniho Isaac Abraham was almost mauled to death by two German Shepherd dogs while playing with his brothers at House 35, Adegboyega Street, Akesan, in the Igando area of Lagos. The dogs were not chained by their owner, Stanley Jegede, who is also the landlord’s brother. Photos from the incident which happened around 5 pm showed that Omoniho’s scalp was removed by the dogs to reveal his skull. He had to be flown to India for treatment.

In October 2022, a 36-year-old man, Ashiru Isa, was mauled to death by two German Shepherd dogs in the Abule-Egba area of Lagos. According to a police report, the man was on his way home when the dogs bounced out of a Catholic Church and attacked him. His brother said the dogs left several bite marks on the deceased.

The above are just a few of the reported cases of attacks by dogs of foreign origin in Nigeria. Amid reports like these, many Nigerians still spend huge amounts to import exotic breeds despite the availability of mongrels, otherwise known as local dogs. Speaking with our correspondent, a dog importer and owner of Moonlight Pets of Africa, Adekunle Oluwatimilehin, said this is due to the perception that foreign breeds are more prestigious and of higher quality than the local dogs who almost have no dangerous report about them.

“The help of social media advertising has fueled the perception. Also when people travel out, they see those dogs and how they are being used. When they compare them to our local dogs, they tend to find a preference for the foreign breeds,” he said.

He added that the foreign breeds, which he described as invented breeds, are suitable for specific purposes that our local dogs cannot carry out.

“The German Shepherd and Belgian Malinois are mostly used in K-9 works at the airport and train stations. They are used to sniff drugs, ammunition, contraband, etc. The Dogo Argentino is used for dog-fighting sports. The Labrador is used to help people with disabilities while some are trained to perform CPR on people,” he said.

However, he lamented that most people who get those breeds in Nigeria don’t use them for such purposes.

“That’s because they lack proper knowledge of owning dogs. They want to own such dogs for owning sake. Those who buy our imported dogs are high-class people who act as parents to the dogs. For someone to pay between $5,000 and $15,000 for a dog, you should know that such a person can care for the dog. While some believe in just buying a dog and keeping it locked up, others use them for the purpose they were bred,” he said.

Breeds banned abroad find home in Nigeria

Our correspondent’s visit to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos revealed the rate at which different dog breeds find their way to Nigeria. Most of the breeds sighted at the airport are banned in different countries due to the rate at which they attack humans.

In the UK, the government said it is against the law to own or sell the Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro. In the US, certain cities have dog breeds that are not allowed. The breeds that frequent the list include Pit Bull, Rottweiler, Cane Corso, German Shepherd, Doberman Pinscher, and Dogo Argentino, to mention a few.

Standing at the MMIA, our correspondent could see some of these breeds arriving in Nigeria and being received by those who ordered them. One such breed is the Caucasian Ovcharka used for herding livestock and is known to be powerful enough to take down a wolf. The breed is banned in Denmark, Italy, Ukraine and Belarus. The man who welcomed the puppy, Collins, said no regulatory body checks their activity, the same thing stated by Oluwatimilehin who also imports dogs. A dog expert, Tail Lords, said the only check at the airport regarding imported dogs has to do with quarantine service.

Dogs experience a heat cycle every six months and can litter twice annually. A dog can have up to 18 puppies in a litter, some of which will be female. This means that in the next 30 years, coupled with irresponsible breeding, Nigeria will be littered with exotic breeds. In a state like Lagos where most of these breeds arrive, regulations are put in place concerning dangerous breeds. Such regulations include mandatory muzzling in public, additional licensing, or insurance requirements for owners of such breeds. However, most owners I spoke to in Lagos don’t have licenses and many have never heard of such requirements.

“When I got my dog as a puppy, a veterinary doctor advised me on the dog’s health and the need for anti-rabies. I never got any advice on having a license for the dog,” said Kunle, an owner of a five-year-old Boerboel.

According to Tail Lords, local governments have the power to issue dog licenses but they have not been effective in that regard. He also blamed the nonchalant attitude of Nigerians for dogs not having licenses.

“There is a dog law in Lagos which we pushed for a review about two years ago but it was politicised,” he lamented.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotosho, was unavailable to speak on the issue.

Tail Lords said the idea behind dog licensing is to confirm a dog’s health status, that is to know if it has received all the necessary vaccines. He said the breed of the dog is ascertained and also the handling capacity of the owner.

“They confirm that your house is the type that goes with that dog breed. For instance, you cannot own bully dogs that can jump high while the fence to your house is low. Those are some of the factors that should be considered in the presence of regulations,” he said.

A veterinary doctor, identified simply as Petposh Vet, advised that owners of such breeds need training on responsible ownership. He also lamented the unavailability of a regulatory body that controls dog ownership in Nigeria.

The need for dangerous dogs

In the past 12 months, 4,556 people have lost their lives to insecurity and 7,086 abducted in Nigeria. This is according to data gathered by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED). Within the same period, multiple reports show that farms have been raided by bandits who receive fees from farmers before farming activities occur. Cattle rustlers have also been on the rampage, leaving many counting losses.

Urban areas are not also safe from criminal activities. According to recent statistics, the Lagos State Criminal Information System (LCI) placed the Lekki, Oshodi/Isolo, and Apapa areas as having the highest crime rates in Lagos. Some of the crimes committed by suspects arrested include phone snatching, rape and burglary during which car parts and generators get stolen.

Protecting oneself amid such criminal activities mostly requires the possession of a firearm. However, such can only be backed by a license, which authorities believe will help forestall anarchy in the country. This has been a major constraint to gun ownership, leaving citizens at the mercy of criminal elements. Some citizens now resort to owning dangerous dogs for their protection.

Tail Lords laments that it would be a disservice to ban the ownership of dangerous breeds in the face of security challenges in the country.

“In the UK, it is okay for them to ban the Cane Corso, one of the common guard dogs in Nigeria right now. That is because the likelihood of somebody breaking into my house in Sheffield to rob without proper planning is very low. But such regularly happens in Isolo, Mowe and Ikeja. That those dogs have been banned in certain places doesn’t mean we should ban them here. What we need to do is ensure that those in possession of these animals can control them,” he said.

Further speaking, he placed the bulk at the desk of the police, urging them to ensure the protection of lives and property, adding that such would justify any crackdown on dog breeds labeled as dangerous.