Eight arrested for killing elephant in Ogun State

Culled From Vanguard

Eight persons
include the alleged shooter of
an elephant in a forest reserve
popularly called elephants forest
in a border area between J1 and
J3 in Ijebu-Igbo, Ijebu North
local government area of Ogun
State have been arrested.

The State commissioner for
Forestry, Ayo Olubori who
disclosed this to newsmen in
Abeokuta on Sunday, said he
had to pass a night in the jungle
after a-three hour journey
withing the forest before the
suspects were arrested,
describing the act as a very
serious crime.

Olubori said the elephant was
killed at the wee hours of
Thursday by a man (name
withheld) after the suspect
encroached the forest
exclusively reserved for
elephants in the state and was
later joined by some villagers in
dismembering it.

According to Olubori the killer of
the elephant and some villagers
who joined him in
dismembering the elephants
after he killed it have been taken
to a police station in Ijebu-Igbo
for further interrogation.

"The suspected killer of the wild
animal was arrested on the spot
at 1 :am . The animal is an
endangered species, we have
them limited, if care is not taken
they may go into extinction. We
don't want to be sanctioned by
Wild lives activists, United
Nations Prohibition, among
others.

"We will charge the suspects to
court hopefully by Monday.
Preliminary report indicated
that, the man was sent by some
prominent people in the society
to get them the elephants tusks
which cost N25 million each, he
has confessed to the crime and
he is on tape", the
commissioner said.