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Tayo Olanipekun
The Oyo State Government has announced the immediate closure of Agodi Zoo in the ancient city of Ibadan.
The government said this decision was based on the report received from the company managing the Zoo, AM & C, that one of the lions at the Zoo had accidentally attacked one of the attendants,leading to his death.
According to a statement issued over the weekend and credited to the Executive Secretary, Bureau of Investment Promotion (BIP), Mr. Yinka Fatoki, the late attendant, Mr. Hamzat Oyekunle, popularly known as Baba Olorunwa, died from injuries sustained from the encounter with the cat.
The government “expressed shock at the unfortunate incident,” added the statement.
Meanwhile, the lions at the recreational center located in the newly repositioned Agodi Gardens have been evacuated from their den pending further investigations.
Fatoki said that the incident was particularly surprising and sad as Oyekunle had fed the lion for over five years and was known to have had a “very good relationship with all the animals in the zoo.”
Meanwhile, government representatives have visited the family to commiserate with them over the demise of Oyekunle,the statement noted.
