A lion has mauled to death Babaji Daule, a zoo worker at Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital.
The incident reportedly occurred in the early hours of Saturday, September 28, 2024, state Police Command spokesperson, Omolola Odutola, confirmed in a statement on Sunday.
According to Odutola, the incident was reported by the Chief Security Officer of the Presidential Library.
The 35-year-old deceased, who hailed from Bauchi State, was said to have forgotten to secure the locks and barricade the lion’s enclosure before approaching the cage to feed the wild animal.
This allowed the lion to escape and attack the handler, resulting in injuries to his neck and eventual death.
The wild animal was shot to release its grip on the handler but had already caused a fatal blow at this point. The deceased’s body was eventually removed and taken to the mortuary at the Ijaiye General Hospital.
“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 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 Ijaiye General Hospital, while the wild lion was shot to release its grip on the handler,” a statement by Odutola reads.
