Elephant Attack: Ogun govt vows to protect wildlife, prevent human-animal conflicts

The Ogun State Government has expressed sympathy to the family of Musa Yahaya Kalamu, who was killed by an elephant in Itasin community, Ijebu East Local Government Area, Ogun State.

Kalamu, 49 years old, was with his son when the attack happened. Unfortunately, Kalamu died, but his son escaped safely.

A video showed Kalamu’s body with serious injuries. This incident caused anger in the community, where conflicts between humans and animals have happened several times before.

The Ogun State Commissioner for Forestry, Oludotun Taiwo, spoke to reporters and asked people to stay calm. He explained that the area where this happened is a conservation zone, not farmland.

Taiwo said many warnings and education efforts have been made, including removing illegal buildings, but people keep entering the area illegally.

He said, “The place is meant for wildlife, especially elephants. The man who died was carrying illegal logs when the elephant attacked him. Elephants are not naturally aggressive; they only fight back when disturbed. That’s why we keep telling people not to go near them or disturb them.”

Taiwo also said the community was not welcoming when officials visited, but the government plans to return to comfort the family and continue educating the people.

The forest covers over 6,000 hectares and is not for farming or living. But because people keep moving in, such accidents happen sometimes.

The government sympathizes with the family and will keep working to prevent future incidents.