On Sunday, a 60-year-old fisherman, Malam Usman Maigadi, lost his life after being attacked by a hippopotamus while fishing in the Yauri River, Kebbi State. Maigadi, who served as a guard at the Emir of Yauri’s Orchard Farm, was likely attacked by the animal in defense of its young, according to the Daily Post.
The Chairman of Yauri Local Government, Alhaji Abubakar Shu’aibu, confirmed that Maigadi had been laid to rest following Islamic rites in Yauri, after the funeral prayer.
Governor Nasir Idris, through a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Alhaji Ahmed Idris, offered his condolences to the Yauri Emirate and Maigadi’s family, urging them to find comfort in their faith. The governor prayed for Allah’s forgiveness for the deceased and wished him eternal rest in Jannatul Firdaus.
Although animal attacks on humans are rare, they can happen when wildlife feels threatened. Such incidents often occur when animals are protecting their young or their territory. In February 2024, Mr. Olabode Olawuyi, a veterinary technologist at the Zoological Garden of Obafemi Awolowo University in Osun State, was fatally attacked by a lion. Similarly, in 2020, a 69-year-old South African conservationist, West Mathewson, was killed by lions without warning.
