By Usman Yahaya Ismail
The price of cattle in Lagos has surged to as high as ₦2.5 million, as butchers and traders attribute the increase to major disruptions in livestock supply from across Northern Nigeria.
Butchers say cows that sold for about ₦1.7 million in 2025 now go for between ₦2.3 million and ₦2.5 million, warning that meat prices may continue to rise if supply conditions do not improve.
Industry stakeholders point to worsening insecurity and reduced pastoral activity across key livestock-producing states in Northern Nigeria, where banditry, farmer-herder clashes, and cattle rustling have significantly affected production and movement of animals to southern markets.
States across the North-East, North-West, and parts of the North-Central regions have been impacted, with herders increasingly unable to safely move livestock through traditional grazing and transport corridors. This has reduced cattle availability in major markets feeding cities like Lagos.
Rising transportation costs, fuel price increases, and poor logistics infrastructure have further compounded the crisis, making it more expensive to move cattle from production zones in the North to consumption hubs in the South.
Butchers and livestock traders warn that unless insecurity is addressed and investment in modern ranching systems is accelerated across Northern Nigeria, the country will continue to face unstable supply, rising meat prices, and growing pressure on household food costs.