OAU authorities’ account of Zoo keeper’s death opens fresh controversies

Controversies have trailed the authorities’ account into the death of a zoo keeper, Olabode Olawuyi, at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State. Olawuyi was mauled by one of the lions when he was purportedly feeding them.

A video circulating the social media shows Olawuyi’s lifeless body on the ground outside the lions’ den, with blood covering his face and another splotch around his torso.

In the same video, there were three men, two of whom bore pump action rifles and one of whom shot the lion from a few meters away from its cage.

As seen in the video, a small metal door leading to the lion’s den was flung open.

An anonymous source told TheCornet that the university management’s statement was inaccurate.

Abiodun Olanrewaju, OAU spokesperson, had in his statement said that “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.”

Our source however queried Olanrewaju’s position, asking whether the rescuers were in the lions’ den or outside the den as the deceased Olawuyi whom they claimed was feeding the lions at the time.

“Did the lion attack him inside the den? If it did, how did he get to the floor outside while the lion was still walking around in its den, until they came to kill it? he asked.

Our source also claimed that after the attack, Olawuyi’s corpse was on ground with no other there, until the university private security officials came around.

It is also seen from the video that the lion was shot dead, putting lie to the university’s claim that it was “euthanised”.

Another excerpt from Olanrewaju’s statement states that “… the Acting Director of the University Health and Medical Centre Dr. Tirimisiyu Olatunji,[said] that all first aid and medical efforts to save the life of the victim proved abortive.”

However, our source confirmed that Olawuyi did not survive the attack by a second and no medical attention was given to him.

“We all saw him on the floor covered with his own blood. Which medical attention or resuscitation could have been given to a dead man? he queried rhetorically.

Our source also said that staff members believed that the gate of the lions’ den was carelessly left open.

He also accused the university management of negligence and failure to keep to safety standards and best practices in zoo management.

In a different account, Wole Odewunmi, chairman OAU chapter of the Non-Academic Staff Union, NASU, said that the “lion attacked a woman first. The woman is also a staff working at the zoo.”

“The deceased intervened to free the woman from the lion. He must have assumed that the lion would recognise him. His intervention to free the woman must have infuriated the animal. The lion left the woman and attacked him squarely,” Odewunmi told the Punch.

Our source wondered if the said woman or Olawuyi was the one feeding the big cat – inside or outside the den. He concluded the university’s account seemed to be a half-truth and misleading. He called for a private investigation of the incident.

Another of our readers wrote: “The story on the lion that mauled its keeper is not consistent with the video. I’m sure you have seen the video of the man lying dead in the zoo and close to the lion. In fact, the video shows the lion was fired at and not euthanized as the report suggests.”

See video below to ascertain our report.