michaelaA lion has reportedly mauled Babaji Daule, one of its handlers at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library Wildlife Park in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
It was gathered that the incident occurred in the early hours of Saturday.
The Police Spokesman, Omolola Odutola confirmed the incident, saying it was reported by the Chief Security officer of the presidential library.
“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,” a statement by Odutola reads.
