A lion has fatally attacked a 35-year-old zoo worker at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library Wildlife Park in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
The tragic incident occurred on Saturday, September 28, 2024, when the lion handler, identified as Babaji Daule from Bauchi State, entered the enclosure to feed the animal.
Reports indicate that the deceased neglected to secure the locks and barricades of the lion’s enclosure before approaching the cage. The lion then escaped and attacked him, resulting in his death.
Omolola Odutola, the spokesperson for the Ogun State Police Command, confirmed the incident in a statement on Sunday, noting that the lion was shot in order to release its hold on the handler.
“The Area Commander Metro has reported a tragic incident which occurred on the 28th of Sept, 2024 at about 1940hrs, at OOPL zoo that one BABAJI DAULE ‘M’ 35 years a trained handler of a male lion, got killed by the lion,” she wrote.
“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 Ijaye General Hospital while the wild lion was shot to release its grip on the handler,
