A lion at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, has killed its handler, Babaji Daule. The library is one of the legacies of global statesman, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, a one-time Nigerian Head of State and twice elected President.
A report by YOUNEWS online newspaper this Sunday morning, September 29, 2024, said the incident occurred in the early hours of yesterday (Saturday).
“The incident, which was reported at about 7:40am by the Chief Security Officer of the OOPL, was said to have occurred when the trained handler of the male lion at the Zoological Garden “carelessly neglected to secure the locks and barricade of the lion’s enclosure before approaching the cage to feed the animal,” the paper said.
“This negligence allowed the lion to escape and attack the handler, resulting in fatal injuries to the handler’s neck and eventual death.
“The victim’s body was removed and taken to the mortuary at Ijaye General Hospital, while the wild lion was shot to release its grip on the handler,”
It said that when contacted, the spokesperson of the Ogun State Police Command, Omolola Odutola, confirmed the incident.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Odutola, on Sunday, Duale, was said to have been careless by not securing the locks and barricade the lion’s enclosure before feeding the lion.
The statement reads, “A deadly incident involving a wild animal attack has been reported by the Area Commander metro. On September 28, 2024, at about 7:40 hrs the Chief Security Officer of Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library informed the divisional police officer that a 35-year-old man named Babaji Daule from Bauchi State, who is a trained handler of a male lion at the Zoological Garden in OOPL Abeokuta, tragically lost his life.
“It was discovered that the lion handler carelessly neglected to secure the locks and barricade the of lion’s enclosure before approaching the cage to feed the animal. This negligence allowed the lion to escape and attack the handler, resulting in fatal injuries to the handler’s neck and eventual death
“The victim’s body was removed and taken to the mortuary at Ijaye General Hospital, while the wild lion was shot to release its grip on the handler.”
