Crimes

Man hospitalised after killing Lion with hands

A 53-year-old man, Iorver Udele, is currently receiving treatment in the hospital after killing a Lion that attacked him with his bare hands at the Ngokugh Mountain in Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State.

Ngokugh Mountain is the area where a Nigeria Military Jet crashed on September 17, 2006, killing 13 out of 18 Army Generals on board.

It was gathered that Udele, who hails from Ajio clan in Shangev-Ya district of Kwande LGA, was rushed to the General Hospital in the Adikpo area of Benue State on Friday, July 7, 2023, following injuries he sustained from the attack.

It was learned that the man was attacked by the Lion while working on his cassava farm at Ngokugh Mountain.

Speaking with newsmen after the attack, the farmer said: “I was working on my cassava farm at Ngokugh Mountain and suddenly, I heard a sound like that of a Lion roaring and advancing towards me.

“I was nervous. I summoned courage and confronted the Lion as it was coming towards me possibly to feast on me. It took about ten minutes during the struggle before I killed it.”

A critical stakeholder in the area, Lawrence Akerigba, said Udele sustained varying degrees of injuries during the encounter with the Lion and has been hospitalised.

Akerigba said the Lion is between 52 and 53 years old.

Meanwhile, the Benue State Police Public Relations Officer, Anene Catherine Sewuese, said the command has yet to receive the report as of press time.

The Star