A male lion has killed its handler, Babaji Daule, at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) Zoological Garden in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Omolola Odutola, who confirmed this in a statement on Sunday, noted that the incident occurred at about 7:40 p.m. on Saturday, September 28, 2024.

Odutola stated that the incident was reported at the Area Command Metro by the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of Obasanjo Library.

The police spokesperson said the CSO disclosed that 35-year-old Daule from Bauchi State, who is a trained handler of a male lion at the zoological garden in the library, lost his life in the incident.

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She stated: “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.”

She noted that the lion was shot to release its grip on the handler.

Odutola added that the victim’s body was removed and taken to the mortuary at Ijaye General Hospital in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

The Star