Police arrests Elephant killers in Ogun
The Ogun State Police Command, on Sunday, arrested eight people for killing an elephant in a forest reserve located along the border area of J1 and J3 in Ijebu-Igbo, Ijebu North Local Government Area of the state.
Ayo Olubori, the State Commissioner for Forestry, said the suspects were apprehended after he (Olubori) spent the night in the jungle and walked more than three hours searching for them.
Olubori described the act as a very serious crime.
According to him, the elephant was killed on Thursday night by a the chief suspect, following his encroachment on the forest which is exclusively reserved for the elephants.
Olubori added that the suspect was later joined by some villagers who helped in dismembering the animal.
The commissioner revealed that the elephant killer and his accomplices are currently in custody at the Ijebu-Igbo police station for further interrogation.
“The suspected killer of the wild animal was arrested on the spot at 1 a.m. The animal is an endangered species; we have them in limited number and if care is not taken they may go into extinction. We don’t want to be sanctioned by Wildlife activists, United Nations Prohibition, among others,” Olubori said.
“We will charge the suspects to court, hopefully by Monday. Preliminary report indicated that the shooter 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.”
