Lion kills zoo keeper at Obasanjo Presidential Library

Abdullateef Fowewe

A lion at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, has killed its handler identified as Babaji Daule.

The library is one of the legacies of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

The victim’s body has been removed and taken to the mortuary at Ijaye General Hospital, as revealed in a statement by the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Omolola Odutola, on Sunday.

Odutola explained that 35-year-old Duale was said to have been careless by not securing the locks and barricading the lion’s enclosure before feeding the lion.

The lion was said to have escaped and attacked the victim on the neck which resulted in death.

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 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.”