SaharaReporters exclusively observed that several Muslim faithful within the Ilorin metropolis confirmed resorting to the arrangement as a last option because they could no longer afford the soaring prices of sacrificial animals amid rising inflation and declining household incomes.
As Muslims across Nigeria celebrate the Eid-el-Kabir on Wednesday, worsening economic hardship has pushed many families in Ilorin, Kwara State, into buying rams on credit, a practice some Islamic clerics have described as religiously questionable and financially dangerous.
SaharaReporters exclusively observed that several Muslim faithful within the Ilorin metropolis confirmed resorting to the arrangement as a last option because they could no longer afford the soaring prices of sacrificial animals amid rising inflation and declining household incomes.
At the bustling Mandate Market in Ilorin, many ram sellers admitted they had increasingly embraced informal credit arrangements after discovering that poor patronage and rising transportation costs made it nearly impossible to return unsold animals to northern states and neighbouring Niger Republic where many of the rams were sourced.
The development highlights the growing economic strain facing ordinary Nigerians as they celebrate the Eid celebration, traditionally marked by the slaughtering of rams by Muslims who can afford it.
