Dog owners risk 6-month jail term in Oyo

The Oyo State House of Assembly has passed a bill imposing six-month imprisonment or N250,000 fine for anyone whose dog bites a person.

The Speaker of the assembly, Adebo Ogundoyin, on Tuesday, said the Dogs Amendment Bill, 2019, was among the 73 bills that had been passed and assented to by Governor Seyi Makinde.

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Rt Hon Ogundoyin spoke after receiving an award of excellence from the Veterinary Council of Nigeria (VCN) in Ibadan, the state capital.

The sponsor of the bill, Wunmi Oladeji, said some of the provisions of the law included a fine of N100,000 or six months imprisonment or both for any dog owner who failed to keep their pets under control, and a fine of N250,000 and or six months imprisonment for dog owners who failed to bear the total cost of medical expenses incurred by a victim of a dog bite.

The President of VCN, AIG Aishatu Abubakar, said the law was needed to control and reduce the transmission of communicable diseases like parvovirus, hepatitis, leptospirosis and rabies, especially from unvaccinated dogs.