The lion was shot to release its grip on the handler while the victim’s body was taken to the mortuary at the State Hospital, Ijaye, Abeokuta.
By Jeffrey Agbo
A 35-year-old man has been killed at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library Wildlife Park in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Babaji Daule, a native of Bauchi State, was killed by a lion in the park in the early hours of Saturday.
The incident, which was reported at about 7:40am by the Chief Security Officer of the library, was said to have occurred when the trained handler of the male lion at the zoological garden forgot to secure the locks and barricade of the lion’s enclosure before approaching the cage to feed it.
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Ogun police spokesperson, SP Omolola Odutola, confirmed the incident, saying: “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 by the Chief Security Officer of Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, who 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 of the 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 lion was shot to release its grip on the handler while the victim’s body was taken to the mortuary at the State Hospital, Ijaye, Abeokuta.