Cattle Rustling: Yobe installs microchips in 5,000 animals

Yobe state government, in collaboration with the North East Regional Initiatives (NERI) has installed Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) microchips in 5,000 cattle across the state.
Flagging off the programme at Babbangida, headquarters of Tarmuwa local government area of the state, Head of Animal Health Northeastsub-region, Dr.
Yazid said “the programme is to combat the issues of cattle rustling and theft among the livestock farmers in Yobe state and the North east sub-region.
He revealed that due to the unfortunate insurgency activities in the sub-region, conflict among cattle farmers has become the order of the day, hence the need for the state government to partner with NERI to curtail the conflict through the introduction of RFID microchip programme.
In his remarks, Head of Animal Development programme, Dr.
Idrissa Yusuf, said “the benefit of the RFID microchip is to give animals identification, easy track when lost and also track infectious diseases amongst the animals.
A cattle farmer who benefited from the gesture, Bello Mohammed, expressed gratitude to Yobe state government and NERI adding that the installation of RFID would regulate livestock and promote economic activities among the farmers in the state.
Blueprint reports that Yobe state has the largest cattle market in the country and the introduction of RFID will reduce the cases of animal rustling in the state