IN a disturbing string of wildlife attacks, two Nigerian states, Adamawa and Ogun, are grappling with the deadly consequences of displaced wild animals invading human settlements.
In Adamawa State, a young man was reportedly killed after a group of hippopotamuses, displaced by flooding from the Kiri Dam, invaded farmlands and communities in Guyuk and Shelleng Local Government areas.
The Chairman of Guyuk LGA, Shalom Kassa, confirmed the death on Monday, July 28, during a community briefing in Banjiram.
“These animals are now moving freely through our riverbanks, farmlands, even flooded homes, and people are living in fear,” Kassa said, adding that “it’s a serious threat to human lives and livelihoods.”
Flooding across the state capital, Yola, and environs, has forced these animals out of their natural habitats and into populated areas, destroying crops and endangering both residents and livestock.
Kassa also highlighted the dilemma facing locals, including laws which prohibit killing or harming wildlife such as hippopotamus.
The chairman, alongside his fellow from Shelleng LGA, Abubakar Abba, and traditional leaders in the area, appealed to the Adamawa State Government for immediate intervention.
The Secretary to the State Government, Awwal Tukur, assured that steps would be taken to address the crisis.
Meanwhile, in Ogun State, a middle-aged farmer, Musa Kalamu, met a tragic end after being attacked by a wandering herd of elephants in the Onitasin Imobi community, Ijebu East LGA.
The animals were said to have escaped from a nearby government reserve.
Confirming the incident on Tuesday, the Commissioner for Forestry, Taiwo Oludotun, said state officials were already heading to the affected community.
The Commissioner of Police, Lanre Ogunlowo, also confirmed the attack, noting that the farmer died while being rushed to the hospital.
The incident went viral after a graphic video circulated online showing Kalamu’s lifeless body, with visible wounds from the attack.
In the video, distressed locals pleaded for help, saying: “The problem with these elephants is too much in our community.”
These twin incidents, although hundreds of kilometers apart, underscore a growing nationwide crisis.
As climate change, deforestation, and urban encroachment continue to erode natural habitats, wild animals are increasingly coming into deadly contact with humans.
The ICIR reports that both hippopotamuses and elephants are rapidly declining in Nigeria due to habitat loss, poaching, and human activities.
According to wildlife experts, Nigeria is home to less than 100 hippopotamuses and approximately 300 African forest and savannah elephants, mostly scattered in protected areas and reserves across the country.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists both animals as vulnerable or endangered, with elephants facing particular threats from the ivory trade and loss of grazing corridors.
Many wildlife reserves in Nigeria lack the necessary funding and infrastructure to effectively monitor or protect these animals.
Unfortunately, as their natural environments shrink due to climate change and unchecked development, these once-elusive species are being forced into human spaces, where they now pose deadly risks.
The challenge for authorities remains how to balance species conservation with the safety of communities living near these wild zones.