The House of Representatives has passed second reading of a bill to prohibit the export and killing of donkeys or its derivatives.

The proposed law, aimed at protecting the Donkeys from extinction recommends a penalty of 10 years imprisonment for offenders.

Leading debate on the bill, Mr. Garba Datti-Muhammad from Kaduna State express concern that donkeys are facing extinction in Nigeria and stressed the need to preserve the species.

Mr. Muhammad explained that the due to the high demand for donkeys in China it has led to the export of the commodity from the west African sub-region including Nigeria.

The lawmaker said: “The demand for donkey skin is extremely high because ‘gelatin’ derived from donkeys is highly prized as a nutritional tonic that boost the immune system.

In Kano, for instance, a donkey that was normally sold for between 15,000 naira and 18,000 naira with the Chines dealers now goes for between 70,000 naira and 75,000 naira.”

Countries like Botswana, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso and Gambia recently prohibited the exportation of donkeys in other to save them from extinction.

Committee on NEMA

Meanwhile the House also passed a motion decrying the unwarranted personal attacks on the Ad-hoc Committee on the activities of National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, since the committee submitted a report to the House last week.

The lawmakers who raised a motion of privilege on the relentless attack by the Office of the Vice President said there were both media and verbal attacks on the committee after the report was submitted to the House.

The Chairman of the Committee Mr. Ali Isa JC while briefing newsmen at the House of Representatives in Abuja said the Committee’s report did not indict the country’s Vice President, Professor Yemi Osibanjo.

Mr. Isa said though the Vice President in his capacity as Acting President and Chairman Board of NEMA authorized the release of fund from the Consolidated Revenue Fund and Euro bond, the committee did not even mention his name in the report.

He dismissed insinuations that the probe was politically motivated, stressing that it was born out of genuine interest to serve Nigerians and protect their interest.