Operatives of the Lagos State Task Force on Environmental Sanitation, on Monday, succeeded in moving the lion found at a private home around Victoria Island to a zoo in Omu Resorts, Lekki.
Task Force Chairman, CSP Olayinka Egbeyemi, disclosed this in a release made available to newsmen by spokesperson of the agency, Mr Adebayo Taofiq, saying the exercise was carried out in conjunction with officials of the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture and medical personnel from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ibadan (UI) .
According to Egbeyemi, Dr Ogunmo Bamidele, who led the medical team from the University of Ibadan, had to tranquilise the lion thrice before the evacuation, even as he confirmed that the Agency responded to a petition from residents while investigations revealed that the lion was brought in from Cameroun by an Indian two years.
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“Immediately I got the petition, I deployed my officers to the house at No. 229, Muri-Okunola Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, where they kept a close watch for more than 72 hours before the lion was finally removed today,” he said.
Egbeyemi assured the residents that the owner of the lion would face the full wrath of the law, warning residents to abstain from harbouring wild animals that endangered the lives of others.
The chairman, while expressing appreciation to the residents around Victoria Island for their “quick action,” urged every member of the public to be observant in their immediate environment and “report any strange or unusual activity to appropriate government authority for prompt action.”
The Director, Veterinary Services, Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture, Dr Macaulay Rasheed, also enjoined members of the public to stop rearing wild animals at private homes in order to avoid unnecessary attack and contagious animal diseases.
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