Newsbreak: Lion kills Obafemi Awolowo University Staff

By Ologeh Joseph Chibu

A staff of the Obafemi Awolowo University, (OAU) has been killed by a lion.

The victim had nursed and fed the lions in the past nine years before the sad incidence of Monday

The 9-years-old male lion on Monday mauled Olabode Olawuyi who was responsible for feeding the lion for many years.

On Monday, the zookeeper was attacked while feeding the wild cat in at the Zoological garden of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.

Olawuyi was a Veternary Technologist in charge of the zoo.

The OAU Vice Chancellor, Prof Adebayo Bamire was said to have ended his meeting when he had about the gory incidence.

“Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adebayo Simeon BAMIRE, was informed, on arrival, by the Acting Director of the University Health and Medical Centre Dr. Tirimisiyu Olatunji, that all first aid and medical efforts to save the life of the victim proved abortive.

Zoo authorities have euthanised the aggressive Lion to calm further rage.

This is about the third time in 30 years that lions have killed their benefactors in Nigeria. In the 1990s,a lion at the Ikogosi Warm Water Spring located in Ekiti State killed a Ghaniab who was its care giver.

Also in the 1990s a lion killed a man at the University of Ibadan zoological garden. He was said to have entered the zoo brandishing a Bible claiming he wanted to reenact what Daniel did in the biblical days.

The lion killed him.

The Public Relations Officer of the university, Abiodun Olarewaju said efforts to safe Olawuyi failed.

He said, “Mr Olawuyi has been taking care of the lions since they were born on campus about 9 years ago but, tragically, the male lion killed the man who had been feeding them.

He said the other members of staff who were at the scene of the incident did everything within their power to rescue their boss but the wild cat had already caused severe fatalities.