A wandering elephant from one of Ogun State’s government reserved forests has reportedly trampled a farmer to death in Imobi in Ijebu East Local Government Area.
The incident was confirmed on Tuesday by the Ogun State Commissioner for Forestry, Taiwo Oludotun.
“Yes, we are aware and we are already on our way to the community,” Oludotun said.
This development comes just a day after a hippopotamus, displaced by flooding near Kiri Dam in Adamawa State, killed one person in Banjiram, a community in Guyuk Local Government Area.
Chairman of Guyuk LGA, Shalom Kassa, confirmed the attack, saying the hippo has been roaming farmlands and residential areas, destroying crops and endangering lives.
Kassa explained that flooding has forced the hippos out of their natural habitat and into nearby communities.
“This is a serious threat to human lives and means of livelihoods; the animals are destroying farmlands, invading flooded homes, and endangering residents and livestock,” Kassa said.
Kassa noted that locals were powerless to act, as existing laws bar them from harming or killing protected wildlife species, including the invading hippos.
“We are appealing to the state Ministry of Environment, wildlife officials, and relevant agencies to urgently intervene before more lives are lost,” he said.
