Agodi zoo shut down as lion kills attendant in Ibadan

An attendant at the Agodi zoo, Ibadan, Oyo state, Hamzat Oyekunle, popularly known as Baba Olorunwa has been killed by one of the lions in the facility.

The development forced the Oyo State Government to shut down the facility yesterday. It also ordered immediate evacuation of the lions pending further investigations.

In a statement at the weekend by the Executive Secretary, Bureau of Investment Promotion (BIP), Mr. Yinka Fatoki, the state expressed shock over the unfortunate incident.

It said the closure of the facility followed reports from the company managing the zoo, AM & C, on the incident. Fatoki, in a statement by Commissioner of Information, Culture and Tourism, Toye Arulogun, expressed shock over the incident because Oyekunle had fed the lion for over five years.

The statement added the deceased was known to have had a very good relationship with all animals in the zoo. The government also claimed to have visited the deceased’s family.