Cape Town - A stray lion has been shot dead by hunters in Northern Nigeria in an attempt to stop it from attacking locals, Nigerian local media reported on Wednesday.
The director of Forestry and Wildlife in the state’s Ministry of Environment, Peter Ayuba, confirmed the killing of a lion by hunters on the fringes of Sambisa Forest in Konduga Local Council.
Ayuba, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria, said the lion might have strayed from Waza National Park in neighbouring Cameroon Republic, according to reports.
Xinhua news agency said hunters, on Sunday, engaged the lion, which injured two of them before it was killed.
An official said: “The injured hunters received treatment while the carcass of the lion was taken to the ministry of environment.”
Ayuba said several years of absence of human activity in the area made the animals wander into the villages. He urged resettled communities to be vigilant.
IOL