No fewer than 40 fishermen in Yauri Local Government Area of Kebbi State have killed and butchered a hippopotamus that reportedly killed two community members. The incident occurred on Monday, following the death of Usman Maigadi, a guard at the Orchard Farm owned by the Emir of Yauri, Muhammad Zayyanu-Abdullahi, on September 22.
Abubakar Shu’aibu, Chairman of Yauri LGA, confirmed the event to the *News Agency of Nigeria* (NAN), stating that the animal had been terrorizing the community. According to Shu’aibu, the fishermen, armed with bows and arrows, killed the hippo on the directive of the Emir after it claimed two lives, including that of a farmer.
“We can’t keep an animal that is killing people anyhow, and all the people it killed were not after the animal. They were doing their own fishing business,” Shu’aibu explained.
Following the kill, the fishermen transported the animal to the palace of the District Head of Gungu, Alhaji Kasimu Aliyu, where it was butchered and shared among the people, amidst cheers from the gathered crowd.
The killing of the hippopotamus has brought relief to the Yauri community, which had been living in fear of further attacks.
