In a joint effort, no fewer than 40 fishermen have killed a mother hippopotamus responsible for the death of Malam Usman Maigadi, a guard at Orchard Farm owned by the Emir of Yauri, Dr. Muhammad Zayyanu-Abdullahi. The incident occurred on September 22, leading to heightened tensions in the community.
The fishermen, armed with bows and arrows, successfully killed the hippopotamus in the Yauri River on Monday. The Chairman of Yauri Local Government Area, Alhaji Abubakar Shu’aibu, confirmed the event, stating that the animal was killed following a directive from the Emir of Yauri.
Shu’aibu emphasized the necessity of this action, noting that the hippo had previously attacked and killed not only the Emir’s guard but also another farmer. He remarked, “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.”
After the hippopotamus was killed, the fishermen transported it on a large canoe from the river to the palace of the District Head of Gungu, Alhaji Kasimu Aliyu, where they were met with applause from a gathering crowd. Following this, the brave fishermen butchered the animal and shared the meat among the community members, turning a tragic event into a communal feast