A tragic incident occurred at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) in Abeokuta, Ogun State, where a lion killed its handler, identified as 35-year-old Babaji Daule.
The library, a landmark tied to the legacy of Nigeria’s former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, was the site of the fatal attack. The victim’s body has been taken to the Ijaye General Hospital mortuary.
According to a statement released by the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Omolola Odutola, the incident took place on Saturday, September 28, 2024, when Daule, a trained lion handler from Bauchi State, failed to properly secure the locks and barricade of the lion’s enclosure before feeding the animal. This oversight allowed the lion to escape and fatally attack Daule, inflicting severe injuries to his neck.
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 the 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. The handler neglected to secure the locks and barricade of the lion’s enclosure before attempting to feed the animal, leading to the lion’s escape and subsequent attack, which resulted in fatal injuries to the victim’s neck.”
The lion was eventually shot to free Daule from its grip, but the handler succumbed to his injuries. His body was later taken to the mortuary.
This tragic incident brings to mind a similar occurrence in February, when a veterinary technologist at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Zoo, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Olabode Olawuyi, was also killed by a lion, which was later shot dead.
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