Locking horns at Lagos ram-fighting contests

Over the years in Lagos, ram-fighting contests have become something of a seasonal mainstay during the annual Sallah season. Daily Trust reports. In the 80s and 90s, it was common to see young boys moving about Lagos neighbourhoods  with rams during the annual Eid-el-Kabir festival celebrated by Muslims. The youngsters would gather at a random […]

Over the years in Lagos, ram-fighting contests have become something of a seasonal mainstay during the annual Sallah season. Daily Trust reports.
In the 80s and 90s, it was common to see young boys moving about Lagos neighbourhoods  with rams during the annual Eid-el-Kabir festival celebrated by Muslims. The youngsters would gather at a random spot and watch their rams duke it out, butting heads and entertaining passers-by. In areas like, Lagos Island, Oshodi, Mushin, Ojuelegba, Ajegunle among others, the popularity of ram-fighting contests is rising, especially with the youth.
Daily Trust gathered that some of the ‘contestants’ are actually rams whose owners don’t know are made to fight. Some youngsters even deceive parents that they are taking the animals to graze, but end up at ‘arenas’. However, the fights are not exclusively for young people, as even elders are not left out. Some parents even encourage their children to take their rams out for a fight.
Daily Trust found out, disturbingly, that some of the rams are fed with intoxicants – and even illicit drugs – for maximum dramatic effect. A participant also said owners even place large bets on the ram fights, running into huge cash amounts and even cars.
Initially, Muslim clerics condemned the trend and conducted pubic preaching against it, seeing it decline for some years. But now, it has resurfaced trendier than ever, modified into a sport of sorts, with many competitions taking place in various parts of Lagos at any time of the year. Some of the contests even have dedicated Facebook pages and a Twitter handle.
There are, currently, various contest organized by Ram Sports Promoters Association of Nigeria (RSPAN) and Ram Owners Association of Nigeria. Daily Trust gathered that the former has even hosted competitions at various levels.  
In May this year, over two hundred rams from four African countries were said to have participated in the first major international duel, called a ‘ram-charging competition’, staged at Jalisco Sports complex in Oshodi. In contention for the top prize were rams from Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Republic of Benin, Cameroon and host-nation Nigeria.
Rasheed Debo, who was sighted at a field in Sabo area of Ikorodu, told Daily Trust that he has at various times participated in competitions. “I have participated in more than 5 competitions since I bought this ram over 5 years ago, but I only won two medals at the local competition in Ikorodu. I have not participated in the state or national competition, but I hope to one day,” he said.
Asked if the sport has received negative attention, he said: “We don’t force any ram to fight. The rams we use are gladiators who like to fight and we take care of them very well. In other countries, they have bull-fighting. I think those who think we are cruel to animals simply do not understand what the sport is all about.”
On the technical aspects of the sport, Debo said organizers usually set a number of times which the rams must hit themselves. “There are people who count the points,” he said.
Another ram owner, Babatunde Jimoh, told Daily Trust that most participants look out for rams with the potential to fight and beat others. “Some go as far as engaging a trainer for their rams,” he added.  He claimed that to buy a ram which can compete and win a competition, one will need to part with over a million naira.
Daily Trust gathered that the horned ‘gladiators’ are given names by their owners, with some of them weird, and even bizzarre. Some of the popular names include Boko Haram, German Machine, Lizarasu, Tthunderbolt and more.
Some ram sellers revealed that whenever potential owners approach them for a fighting animal, they usually look out for strength. Malam Usman Mohammed, a ram seller in Sabo Market in Ikorodu, said a big, strong ram commands over N100,000, sometimes hitting up to N250,000. A costly sport, indeed.