The people of a mostly tranquil community of Mahadiyya in Gujba local council of Yobe State now live in fear of a free-roaming lion that has attacked and killed two residents.
The lion, said to have come from the Gujba forests, has also decimated livestock as sheep and goats in the area. The 2 human victims were local farmers.
Wildlife rangers of the Ministry of Environment have not been able to go after the rampaging lion because their guns were seized by operatives of the State Security Service (SSS) as part of contain the security situation in the state, as part of a larger security measure across the region.
Confirming the lion’s attacks on Tuesday, the state Commissioner for Environment, Ahmed Wakil Sarki said that the lions “attacked and killed two farmers along with their 30 sheep and goats grazing in the forests of Gujba.”
“I am mobilising the forests rangers and other local hunters to commence hunting for it because the lion is on rampage and could cause further harm to lives and property in area.”
Local hunters were also reported to have joined efforts to hunt-down the wild animal.