Religion has turned many Nigerians into
rambling psychopaths. From the raving mad Islamists who ravaged an
entire northeastern geopolitical zone of the federal republic to a
deluded band of Obafemi Awolowo University students who withdrew into
the deep tropical forest to wait for the world to come to an end or to
the traditionalists who exhume corpses for rituals of fortune, religion
has done great damage to the cerebral tissues of many of our citizens.
But this is not a recent development. As far back as 1961, Edidem Bassey
(I wrote his story, see HERE)
was worshipped by many as Jesus Christ. Nigerian history is not
complete without the numerous bizarre stories that are always woven with
faiths. Today, I present to you the most notorious story of a bloody
encounter between a Nigerian prophet and an African beast.
However, unknown to all of the other visitors, there was one particular visitor who had another sinister agenda. Bishop (some referred to him as a pastor or a bishop) ‘Daniel’ Abodunrin’s intention that fateful day was not to see the lions and take some memorable pictures with them. His goal was to demonstrate something that had never been done before. His plan was to replicate what was written in the Holy Bible thousands of years ago. It was the story of a Jewish boy in Jerusalem named Daniel who was captured by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon who served in the king’s court until the time of Cyrus, the Persian emperor. Although many scholars today have agreed that Daniel never existed and the story is nothing but an allusion to the reign of King Antiochus IV Epiphanes of Greece, the tale has survived till modern-day Nigeria and it was this story that inspired Pastor Abodunrin to take that fatal gamble that fateful day, he took the trip from Omi Adio, a tiny village in Ibadan, paid the transport fare of N120 and headed to the zoo at Ibadan. In the biblical story, Daniel was made a high-ranking officer by Darius the king of Babylon, his enemies became jealous and accused him of worshipping God instead of the emperor. Daniel was flung into the den of lions but he was not afraid, the lions did not hurt him and an angel came to rescue Daniel and he was restored to his former glory and his enemies were crushed. That was how it went in the Old Testament.
ENTERING THE DEN OF THE LIONS
Driven by the zeal and passion of religion and with the utmost belief that he would be save by the Holy Spirit or that the angels will paralyze the lions as they did for Daniel, Abodunrin did not stop chanting Bible verses and speaking in tongues, wriggling his body under the robes, providing what was the spectacle of the year for everyone in the zoo. A crowd had gathered. But inside the den of the lions, something interesting was going on with the Nigerian Daniel and the feline beasts. As Abodunrin approached them, the big cats retreated and moved towards a corner of their cage, that was their instinct. They withdrew from the marauding ‘man of God’.
At that moment, everyone was watching
the entire drama as if it was a dream. Here was a man in a flowing red
robe, armed with nothing but a large Bible, approaching some of the
fiercest creatures on earth. When Abodunrin jumped into the lions’ cage,
the lions moved into a tense retreat. Abodunrin stepped closer. He
seemed determined to cow the lions and turn them into goats. He felt he
possessed all the heavenly authority and spiritual powers to summon
angels to weaken the lions. The only way to paralyze a lion in an
instant is to use a tranquilizer dart, which is just common sense. But
the prophet felt things in the physical world are controlled in the
realm of the spirits and there was no need for any tranquilizer dart, he
would use his copy of the Bible as a sedative for the lions. He brushed
off those who warned him of an imminent death that they had carnal
minds and could not understand things of the spirit. Rational people in
the audience looked on in horror as it looked like a feast was ready.
He might have mistaken the retreat of the lions for a sign of weakness or that the angels were actually working their wonders already. Like a deranged mind, Abodunrin kept chanting Bible verses, making gestures at the lions and commanding them to be still. He was calling on the God of Daniel who saved the prophet in Babylon to show awesome power. As he made a final approach towards the lions, what happened next was…
What remained of the audacious
preacher was later recovered and you can see it in the photo. Today,
many preachers across the globe have made attempts to recreate the
narrated stories and miracles of the Bible but they have ended
disastrously, from the pastor who drowned while trying to walk on water
to another pastor who entered a lion’s den in Taiwan only to be wounded
after shouting to the lions: ‘Jesus would save you!’. Nigerians
have to learn to embrace rational thinking instead of beclouding their
senses with religious ideologies that will only end in sorrow and offer
nothing of value to humanity. When ebola disease broke out in Nigeria,
Pastor Ituah Ighodalo angered not a few Nigerians when he said that even
if people drank ebola virus, nothing would happen to them because they
were children of God.
THE AFTERMATH
In an instant, the story was all over the country that a pastor who entered the lion’s den was mauled to death and consumed by the beasts. Many could not believe their ears. However, there were some Christians who actually believe that the pastor was a true man of God and that the lions were actually possessed by demons to have attacked the anointed ‘man of God’. This set of Christians were enraged and demanded that the lions be killed.
An Abiyamo Fan narrated of the incident:
Kenny Lawal: Thanks abiyamo for the memories. I was a 2nd year student in UI when this incident occurred in late November 1991. Many students on campus who heard the commotion had initially thought it was mere rumour but some curious ones like me went in some minutes later. By then the ‘Daniel of Omi Adio’ had been mauled and evacuated. We had to gather around some Zoo keepers who gave us the eyewitness accounts- Abodunrin scaled the perimeter fence unnoticed with his flowing robe; he was fatally mauled and died on the spot but was not eaten, fire extinguishers were used to scare the lions back into their enclosures before the man could be retrieved. The particular lion that delivered the fatal blow was later put down despite the protests by animal rights activists (they said the animal had tasted human blood and had to die). Festus Adedayo, a former reporter, now a Special Adviser to Gov. Ajumobi did a fabulous piece on this story in the defunct Weekend Concord then. Arguably the most popular and legendary animal at UI zoo then was ‘Haruna’ the Gorilla. We, the students even nicknamed him ‘Owonikoko’ ‘Omo ose paro’ for he was the greatest attraction in the zoo and generated huge revenues. I thank you again for bringing back the memories.
At this point, I will make reference to the experience of a journalist from that era, someone who actually had the experience of the saga, Akeem Soboyode, he wrote of the incident in July 2004:
About a year later, I also had cause to comment on the sad and tragic escapade of a pastor who deliberately sneaked into the lion’s den at the University of Ibadan zoo and was mauled to death by a lion. Despite my growing reservation then regarding issues of religion, my interest in writing an article on that issue came primarily from the fact that I am a proud alumnus of the university and paid many visits to that zoo while I was a student there. Immediately after the tragic event, many suggested that the lion be put to death. I argued in my article, also published in the PUNCH, that the lion was a beast, not a rational being as one would expect its victim to be. That was the way nature programmed it to react to such an event, and the unthinking “Daniel” should have known better. I don’t recall if the lion was eventually destroyed, but I do remember that after the article was published, one of my Christian friends made a comment along these lines: “Akeem, don’t you know the lion must have been possessed to have killed the pastor? Why should it deserve to live?”
In July 2015, the boss of the University of Ibadan Zoo, Dr. (Mrs) Olajumoke Falode-Morenikeji confirmed the incident and this is what she had to say about it:
But there was a story we
learned, that a man called Daniel wanted to catch a lion; jumped into
the lions’ cage here in your Zoo and was killed and eaten by the lion.
How true is that story?
It is a true story – it happened many years ago before I got here. You know, in the society we have different kinds of people, some are normal while some are not, this man actually jumped into the lions’ cage and presented himself as a feast for the lions, he was the one that killed himself, infact the lions first withdrew from him, but he still went ahead chanting bible passages and perhaps hoping to catch the lion or something close to that – and the lion needed to defend itself, he pounded on the man and killed him, so that was the peculiar case.
Did people attempt to rescue him or something?
It was so sudden I am sure, nobody in their right senses will not do that.
Today, the zoo proudly boasts of lions and below are photos of some of the lions with their names:
On the 14th of January
2015, Pastor Enoch Adeboye was at the same zoo to commission the
upgraded University of Ibadan Zoological Garden. Adeboye had donated the
sum of N45 million for the upgrade of the zoo, and part of the upgrade
was the building of modern cages for the animals, meaning the lions got
new and reinforced cages. I found it amusing that another pastor would
be back at the zoo years later to provide money for stronger and
reinforced cages for the lions in the same zoo where another pastor was
mauled to pieces. You know, probably if the cages had been stronger that
time, I might not have had to write this story.
THANKS FOR YOUR TIME.
REFERENCES
“No
weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And every tongue that
accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the
servants of the LORD, And their vindication is from Me,” declares the
LORD.
– Isaiah 54:17
The city of Ibadan in Oyo State,
southwestern Nigeria is one of the largest in West Africa. It is home to
the first university in Nigeria, University of Ibadan, established by
the colonial masters in 1948. One of the most famous features of this
great citadel of learning is its Zoological Garden, which is one of the
oldest in the country. The zoo plays host to various animals but the
most legendary of them all are the lions. For many visitors, a trip to
the famed zoo is not complete without seeing the majestic lions. So it
was during the Easter Lenten season of 1991, all of Ibadan was buzzing
with excitement of the season and naturally, one of the prime spots of
attraction for many families was the University of Ibadan Zoo. Families,
couples and tourists trooped into the zoo that fateful day.However, unknown to all of the other visitors, there was one particular visitor who had another sinister agenda. Bishop (some referred to him as a pastor or a bishop) ‘Daniel’ Abodunrin’s intention that fateful day was not to see the lions and take some memorable pictures with them. His goal was to demonstrate something that had never been done before. His plan was to replicate what was written in the Holy Bible thousands of years ago. It was the story of a Jewish boy in Jerusalem named Daniel who was captured by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon who served in the king’s court until the time of Cyrus, the Persian emperor. Although many scholars today have agreed that Daniel never existed and the story is nothing but an allusion to the reign of King Antiochus IV Epiphanes of Greece, the tale has survived till modern-day Nigeria and it was this story that inspired Pastor Abodunrin to take that fatal gamble that fateful day, he took the trip from Omi Adio, a tiny village in Ibadan, paid the transport fare of N120 and headed to the zoo at Ibadan. In the biblical story, Daniel was made a high-ranking officer by Darius the king of Babylon, his enemies became jealous and accused him of worshipping God instead of the emperor. Daniel was flung into the den of lions but he was not afraid, the lions did not hurt him and an angel came to rescue Daniel and he was restored to his former glory and his enemies were crushed. That was how it went in the Old Testament.
Then
God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that
they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over
the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that
move along the ground.” – Genesis 1:26
Fast forward to 1991 AD. Location:
Ibadan. A pastor in West Africa attempts to recreate what was narrated
in the sixth chapter of the Book of Daniel. Pastor Abodunrin donned a
flowing red robe and clutched his big Holy Bible. As he made his way for
the lion enclosure, alarmed zoo keepers shouted and warned him (some
other records stated that he sneaked in and it all happened very fast
while another version has it that he managed to convince one of the zoo
keepers to allow him enter and let God demonstrate signs and wonders
saying that the God of Daniel is the same yesterday, today and
tomorrow). One thing was clear: Abodunrin did not listen to any of those
warning him. Terrified families who were enjoying their picnic looked
on with a bewildering mixture of shock and terror, screams rented the
serene atmosphere of the zoo but Abodunrin was just chanting Bible
verses at the top of his voice and speaking in tongues. He made it into
the enclosure of the lions and stared at them. The lions stared back at
him. It was a most discomforting sight for everyone, including the
lions. An exchange of death stares and at a point, a deafening silence
fell over the whole place. It was all like a movie. Devout Christians in
the crowd were waiting to see a faith-enhancing miracle while some
others toughened their minds for the bloodiest drama of the century. Driven by the zeal and passion of religion and with the utmost belief that he would be save by the Holy Spirit or that the angels will paralyze the lions as they did for Daniel, Abodunrin did not stop chanting Bible verses and speaking in tongues, wriggling his body under the robes, providing what was the spectacle of the year for everyone in the zoo. A crowd had gathered. But inside the den of the lions, something interesting was going on with the Nigerian Daniel and the feline beasts. As Abodunrin approached them, the big cats retreated and moved towards a corner of their cage, that was their instinct. They withdrew from the marauding ‘man of God’.
 |
| Can you confront a lion with a Bible? This lion is at the Agodi Gardens in Ibadan. |
He might have mistaken the retreat of the lions for a sign of weakness or that the angels were actually working their wonders already. Like a deranged mind, Abodunrin kept chanting Bible verses, making gestures at the lions and commanding them to be still. He was calling on the God of Daniel who saved the prophet in Babylon to show awesome power. As he made a final approach towards the lions, what happened next was…
“No
weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And every tongue that
accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the
servants of the LORD, And their vindication is from Me,” declares the
LORD.
– Isaiah 54:17
In a flash, the lions lifted their
massive bodies and charged at Abodunrin. The Bible flew away and he
landed with a thud. A bitter struggle ensued and the terrified crowd
could not believe the scene before their eyes. It seemed everyone was
too confused or fixated to even do anything. Pastor Abodunrin could not
believe his eyes and as the lions landed on him, the look of terror in
his eyes could only be better imagined. In a matter of seconds, he was
torn to shreds. He died on the spot and the lions snacked on his
remains. A single, well-aimed bite from a lion is enough to kill an
adult human being in a matter of seconds. Abodunrin’s red robe was
redder with the splatter of his blood all over the place, his torn and
bloodied Bible in one corner of the lions’ cage. |
| Some of the last sights of Prophet Abodunrin looked like this. Imagine seeing this moments before your death. What a spectacle! |
 |
| A gruesome photo shows what became of Prophet Abodunrin after he entered the lions’ den shouting Halleluyah. |
In an instant, the story was all over the country that a pastor who entered the lion’s den was mauled to death and consumed by the beasts. Many could not believe their ears. However, there were some Christians who actually believe that the pastor was a true man of God and that the lions were actually possessed by demons to have attacked the anointed ‘man of God’. This set of Christians were enraged and demanded that the lions be killed.
An Abiyamo Fan narrated of the incident:
Kenny Lawal: Thanks abiyamo for the memories. I was a 2nd year student in UI when this incident occurred in late November 1991. Many students on campus who heard the commotion had initially thought it was mere rumour but some curious ones like me went in some minutes later. By then the ‘Daniel of Omi Adio’ had been mauled and evacuated. We had to gather around some Zoo keepers who gave us the eyewitness accounts- Abodunrin scaled the perimeter fence unnoticed with his flowing robe; he was fatally mauled and died on the spot but was not eaten, fire extinguishers were used to scare the lions back into their enclosures before the man could be retrieved. The particular lion that delivered the fatal blow was later put down despite the protests by animal rights activists (they said the animal had tasted human blood and had to die). Festus Adedayo, a former reporter, now a Special Adviser to Gov. Ajumobi did a fabulous piece on this story in the defunct Weekend Concord then. Arguably the most popular and legendary animal at UI zoo then was ‘Haruna’ the Gorilla. We, the students even nicknamed him ‘Owonikoko’ ‘Omo ose paro’ for he was the greatest attraction in the zoo and generated huge revenues. I thank you again for bringing back the memories.
At this point, I will make reference to the experience of a journalist from that era, someone who actually had the experience of the saga, Akeem Soboyode, he wrote of the incident in July 2004:
About a year later, I also had cause to comment on the sad and tragic escapade of a pastor who deliberately sneaked into the lion’s den at the University of Ibadan zoo and was mauled to death by a lion. Despite my growing reservation then regarding issues of religion, my interest in writing an article on that issue came primarily from the fact that I am a proud alumnus of the university and paid many visits to that zoo while I was a student there. Immediately after the tragic event, many suggested that the lion be put to death. I argued in my article, also published in the PUNCH, that the lion was a beast, not a rational being as one would expect its victim to be. That was the way nature programmed it to react to such an event, and the unthinking “Daniel” should have known better. I don’t recall if the lion was eventually destroyed, but I do remember that after the article was published, one of my Christian friends made a comment along these lines: “Akeem, don’t you know the lion must have been possessed to have killed the pastor? Why should it deserve to live?”
In July 2015, the boss of the University of Ibadan Zoo, Dr. (Mrs) Olajumoke Falode-Morenikeji confirmed the incident and this is what she had to say about it:
 |
| Dr Mrs Olajumoke Falode, the ‘Great Huntress’ of the University of Ibadan Zoological Gardens. She relived the experience in an interview. |
It is a true story – it happened many years ago before I got here. You know, in the society we have different kinds of people, some are normal while some are not, this man actually jumped into the lions’ cage and presented himself as a feast for the lions, he was the one that killed himself, infact the lions first withdrew from him, but he still went ahead chanting bible passages and perhaps hoping to catch the lion or something close to that – and the lion needed to defend itself, he pounded on the man and killed him, so that was the peculiar case.
Did people attempt to rescue him or something?
It was so sudden I am sure, nobody in their right senses will not do that.
Today, the zoo proudly boasts of lions and below are photos of some of the lions with their names:
 |
| Isaac. |
 |
| Rocky. |
 |
| This is Arnold. Credits: Damola Dada. |
 |
| Always let sleeping lions lie. |
They
will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison,
it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick
people, and they will get well.” – Mark 16: 18
My name is LEO. PANTHERA LEO.
REFERENCES
- http://nigeriaworld.com/feature/publication/soboyede/071804.html
- http://pmparrotng.com/the-story-of-a-man-who-likened-himself-to-the-biblical-daniel-by-jumping-into-the-lions-cage-and-was-eaten-ui-zoo-boss-dr-jumoke-morenikeji-explains-details/
- https://www.facebook.com/uialumni/posts/939212952755389
- http://www.nigeriamasterweb.com/AdSense/LionAttacksPreacher.html
- http://www.osundefender.org/see-what-pastor-ea-adeboye-did-to-ui-zoo-a-must-read/
- Did We Create God? God Scam Exposed by Joachim Onyeakor.
- Power from God The Holy Spirit by Evangelist Gabriel Olagunju http://gherald.org/Books/Power%20from%20God.pdf
- http://abiyamo.com/exclusive-how-prophet-daniel-abodunrin-was-killed-eaten-by-lions-at-ibadan-zoo-in-1991/
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