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Camels are desert species with long necks and two humps on their backs. They are used mainly for riding and carrying goods in desert countries. The average life expectancy of a camel, according to experts is 40 to 50 years.
In Borno State for instance, apart from eating the camel’s meat in large quantity, many people also drink its urine because they believe it is medicinal and cures different types of diseases in human body.
Just recently, our reporter went to the Abattoir Market in Gamboru area of the Maiduguri metropolis of the state, where some youths were seen milking out the camel’s urine for medicinal purposes.
One of the urine sellers at Abattoir, Walli Idrissa told LEADERSHIP SUNDAY that the camel urine has medicinal values as it cures many deadly diseases which include kidney failure, hypertension, typhoid fever, erectile dysfunction, Sexually Transmitted Disease (STDs) and many others.
According to him, “people from other parts of the country come to this place to buy the camel urine for drinking. A lot of people had confessed to the fact that, since they started drinking the urine of this animal, their ailments have been cured”.
Mallam Idrisa who claimed to have been in the business of selling camel urine from the tender age of 15, said that its price ranges from N200 and M500 per bottle.
He further explained that, most times, a patient is advised to mix the urine with honey before taking it in the morning and evening and in a case whereby the disease becomes critical, then it should be taken thrice daily.
“We are making a lot money through this business, because many people are buying this urine and it is from this urine selling business that I train my self in school, Allamdillahi” Idrisa said.
Surprisingly, when our reporter was still interacting with the urine seller, three buyers came to the place looking for some to buy. One of them who spoke on behalf of the rest whose name was given as Ibrahim Kaura, said they were there to buy the camel urine because it is medicinal and we have been coming here to buy it. We have tasted it and found out that actually, cures many it illness.”.
Also, in the course of further inquiry, leadership Sunday was told that apart from the camel urine, other parts of the animal that are highly medicinal are the camel’s milk and stool. The milk, according to the sellers is mainly for nutritional values, while the stool are for medicinal purposes.
It was observed that, most of the people who engaged in the sale of the camel urine are youth between the ages of 20 and 28.
Another interesting aspect of it is that, it has provided employment opportunities to the youths, who would have roaming the streets without jobs.
It was also discovered that the camel urine sellers get more customers during the hot season, because that’s when many diseases usually spring up. “We sell more during the hot season because that’s when buyers patronize us very well”, Musa Tela stated.
Another buyer, Tijani Muhammed who spoke with leadership Sunday came in contact with at the market said he has been drinking camel urine for the last25 years and he has never regretted taking it because it helps him a lot. “I drink the urine of camel almost on daily basis; even the milk is also nutritional”, he said. A butcher at the Abattoir Market, Bukar Modu, told the leadership Sunday that most of the camels are being brought from Chad and Niger Republics.
Commenting on the scientific potency of the camel urine, a Maiduguri-based Veterinary Doctor, Dr. Emmanuel Ayoola, opined that it has not been scientifically proved that the urine of a camel can cure diseases, but may be because people believe that it can cure their sicknesses, that’s why they are drinking it and it is working for them.
“I think drinking of camel urine is based on one’s belief that since camel is a desert animal that can resist all kinds of hurdles, people drink its urine to treat their diseases and it works for them,” the veterinary doctor said.
