With barely 24 hours to the Eid-el-Kabir celebration, some residents of Abuja and neighbouring Niger State have deferred the purchase of rams and other sacrificial animals until the morning of the Eid day.
They blamed the decision on the sharp increase in the prices of the animals.
A visit by The Guardian to ram markets in Suleja and Maje on Thursday revealed that prices of small and medium-sized rams range between N200,000 and N300,000, while bigger ones are sold from N400,000 and above.
Despite the proximity to the nation’s capital, there was little to no difference in ram prices between Suleja and Abuja.
A market survey showed that the cost of rams in both locations hovered within the same range, with medium-sized rams selling for between N200,000 and N350,000, and larger ones going for as high as N500,000 to N1 million.
A visit by this correspondent to the two locations found no significant price relief.
Most of the prices, irrespective of size, start from N200,000.
Eid al-Adha, also known as the Festival of Sacrifice, commemorates the faith and obedience of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham), who was willing to sacrifice his son in submission to God’s command.
While rams are the most popular sacrificial animals in many parts of Nigeria, Islamic teachings permit the slaughter of other livestock such as goats, cows, and camels, depending on affordability and availability.
The key conditions are that the animal must meet the age and health requirements specified in Islamic jurisprudence and that the slaughter must take place within the stipulated days of sacrifice from the 10th to the 13th of Dhul Hijjah after the Eid prayer.
At the Kaduna Road livestock market in Suleja Local Government Area, a ram dealer, Sharafadeen, attributed the price hike to increased transportation and feeding costs.
“A ram I sold last year for N150,000 or N200,000 now goes for N350,000. I bought these ones from Niger State, and my profit is not more than N20,000 per ram,” he said in Hausa.
Another dealer, Abdul, said sales had dropped compared to previous years, blaming the high prices.
“Even if buyers come on Sallah day, I won’t reduce the price,” he said.
Residents like Saheed Abdulrahman said they are deferring their purchase in anticipation of a possible price drop.
“I won’t bother buying today. Insha Allah, I will buy after the Eid prayer tomorrow morning. The price should have been reduced by then.”
At the livestock hub in Maje, a community that links Abuja and Minna, market activity was sluggish.
A dealer who identified himself as Usman said he had sold only two rams in the past three days.
“You can see that most of the rams here are small-sized. The bigger ones are not moving fast, so I brought smaller ones to boost sales. I sold one for N220,000 yesterday and another today for N170,000.”
At the market, the reporter observed two buyers who said they would come back on the Eid day (Friday) morning to purchase their rams, hoping that the price would be lower.
The ram bought by this reporter at a cattle market in Kwamba, Suleja, was sold for N300,000. A similar size sold for N160,000 to N200,000 last year.
This indicated an increase of over 50 per cent.
While it is ideal to slaughter the ram immediately after the Eid prayer on the first day of Eid al-Adha, Islamic teachings allow the sacrifice to be done on the second or even third day.
