The library is owned by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, a one-time military Head of State and twice elected President of Nigeria. The victim’s body has been evacuated to the mortuary of Ijaye General Hospital.
A spokesperson of Ogun State Police Command, SP Omolola Odutola, said in a statement on Sunday that the 35-year-old victim did not properly locked the lion’s enclosure before feeding it, which gave the lion the chance to bolt out and attack the keeper.
According to the police, the lion attacked Daule’s neck which resulted to his 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 the 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.”
Recall in February, a veterinary technologist working at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU)’s Zoo, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Olabode Olawuyi, was also killed by a lion, which was later shot dead.
