Lagos Government relocates lion found in a house in Victoria Island

 

BY OUR EDITOR

The Lagos State Government has removed the lion found in a house at Victoria Island area of the state, after tranquilising the animal.

The Head of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit, Mr. Yinka Egbeyemi, confirmed the development on Monday. He noted that the lion was removed around 1.30pm.

The task force boss told The PUNCH that the Indian owner had yet to honour the invitation of the government.

“Instead, what he did was to send three Nigerians who claimed to be his workers.

“But we are working with them to know where we can find him.

“Our primary concern now is to remove the lion from the house, which we have done,” he said.

THE PUNCH had reported that officials of Lagos State Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences had been deployed to the house since Friday after neighbours petitioned the state government on the presence of the wild animal in the house.

The animal reportedly belongs to an Indian national who rented an apartment in the house.

The Head of the task force team, Mr. Yinka Egbeyemi, said that he had the instruction of the Commissioner for the Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture to tranquilise the animal today (Monday).

He said the lion would be subsequently transferred to a zoo.

Egbeyemi noted that the Indian might also be prosecuted, as he would have to explain how he brought the carnivore into the state.

He said, “The lion was found on No. 229 Muri Okunola Street. Our Black Maria and men have been there since Friday. They will remove the animal on Monday.

“The Indian man rented the apartment and lied to the owner of the house that he wanted to be staying there.

“He claimed that the house was under renovation and brought the animal there.

“The neighbours saw the thing and that was how we got a petition from them.

“We have sent him a letter that he should come and talk to us. So, by tomorrow (Monday), we will like to know how he got the animal.

“He will have to tell us why he is rearing a lion in a city; that is a wild animal and anything can happen. So, he may be prosecuted.”