Calabar—In some communities in the Niger-Delta, eating dog meat is a taboo, but among the Efiks in Calabar and other tribes in Cross-River and   Akwa-Ibom States, eating ‘404’,   ‘J5’, ‘pepperoni’, among others, as   dog meat is prevalently known, is a way of life.

The guzzlers tell you bluntly that it is a delicacy that goes smoothly with beer besides the medicinal and healing power.

…Know no tribe

In a chat with Niger Delta Voice, Mr. Ubong Udofia   who has been in the business of dog meat since 1994,   said the delicacy knows no tribe as people from different ethnic backgrounds, including Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba, Efik, Ibibio patronize the joint.

Dog meat

“One thing they share in common is the satisfaction they get from consuming the meat, which for some is an everyday affair. We do not in this part see dog meat as a taboo like in some places,” he said.

Remedies

Udofia added, “Most people here believe that it cures malaria and other forms of ailments due to the varieties of leaves and other ingredients that we use in preparing it.   Truly it works because I and my family  have not had malaria in a very long time.”

Preparation

“It takes approximately two hours to prepare the delicacy, I do the killing and butchering, while my wife takes care of the cooking, we add local gin while cooking it to bring out the natural oil from the meat because no other oil is used in the preparation.”   Some like it with plantain while some prefer it with rice using the scent leaf as sauce, but I sell at least two dogs every day and sometimes three at weekends,” he asserted.

In separate exchanges, two other dog joint owners, Mr.   Mbe Akpan     at Big Qua Town and at Mr. Etim Edibe Edibe reinforced Ubong’s assertion. They said most people prefer  dog  to goat meat and beef because of its nutritional and medicinal values and also, because of the way it is prepared with plantain and rice.

A customer, Mrs Edem Awan, who spoke that,” I eat it every day because it is very delicious; I particularly like the liver and the head, especially when cooked with plantain pottage.

King of meat

An Ekpe title holder,    Chief Okokon Ita,   told Niger Delta Voice that it is like a traditional meat, without which stuffs for most   traditional ceremonies were definitely incomplete,   especially in Efik  land, but that there was   no voodoo attached to it.

He asserted,” When someone commits suicide, a dog is used to do spiritual cleansing of the land to prevent the re-occurrence of such bad omen. The dog is used to drive away the evil spirits responsible for such evil happening and it is an age-long tradition among the Efiks.”

“Also, when a child who is growing up finds it difficult to walk, there is a concoction we make with the bones, we use it to massage the leg of the child and within few weeks, the child will start walking,” said Ita.

No evidence- Medical experts

However, medical experts say there is no proof whatsoever that dog meat cures malaria. But some said it helps to maintain osmotic blood pressure caused by plasma protein because of the high content of albumin and can also prevent arteriosclerosis (the thickening, hardening and loss of elasticity of the walls of arteries).