Operatives of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit have recovered a lion sighted in a building in Lagos, Nigeria.
The officials were deployed in the house where the lion was kept on Friday following petitions from residents who expressed worry over the presence of the carnivore.
The lion, which was a cub was finally found in a house at 229 Muri Okunola Street, Victoria Island.
The unusual pet was said to belong to an Indian national who rented an apartment in the building at 229 Muri Okunola Street, Victoria Island.
The head of the Task Force team, Mr. Yinka Egbeyemi, said that he was instructed by the Commissioner for Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture to tranquilise the animal on Monday. Mr Egbeyemi disclosed the plan to move the cub to a zoo.
According to Egbeyemi, the Indian owner may also face prosecution to explain how he brought the lion into the state.
“The lion was found on No. 229 Muri Okunola Street. Our Black Maria and men have been there since Friday. They will remove the animal on Monday. The Indian man rented the apartment and lied to the owner of the house that he wanted to be staying there. He claimed that the house was under renovation and brought the animal there.”
The neighbours saw the thing and that was how we got a petition from them.
“We have sent him a letter that he should come and talk to us. So, by tomorrow (Monday), we will like to know how he got the animal.”
“He will have to tell us why he is rearing a lion in a city; that is a wild animal and anything can happen. So, he may be prosecuted,” Mr Egbeyemi said.
Interestingly, all nerves have been calmed as the highly-dangerous animal was evacuated from the Indian national’s apartment on Monday afternoon.