Itasin-Imobi Elephant Attack on Farmer Sparks Deadly Cost of Ignoring Human-Wildlife Conflict
On Monday, July 28, 2025, a herd of elephants attacked a farmer named Yahaya Musa, popularly known as Kalama on his farm at Itasin-Imobi, a rural community in Ijebu East Local Government Area (LGA) in Ogun State.
Human-Wildlife Policy is a strategic framework that helps settle human-wildlife conflicts (HWC). Human-wildlife conflicts happen when wild animals and human beings compete for space and resources. This mostly results in negative outcomes like loss of lives, attack on farmlands and livestock, property damages and extinction of wildlife, in the case of retaliation.
While the World Bank identifies HWC as one of the most urgent threats facing biodiversity conservation and sustainability, the positive impact of peaceful coexistence between human and wildlife should not be overlooked.
On Monday, July 28, 2025, a herd of elephants attacked a farmer named Yahaya Musa, popularly known as Kalama on his farm at Itasin-Imobi, a rural community in Ijebu East Local Government Area (LGA) in Ogun State. The news spread after a viral video showed residents of Onitasin lamenting the brutal death of the farmer, whose body bore injuries and exposed intestines.
History of Itasin-Imobi Elephant Attacks
This is not the first time the residents experience this tragic event in their community. A post by the former lawmaker of Ijebu East LGA, Honorable Shola Adams, revealed that elephants migrated from Omo Forest into Itasin-Imobi community in 2018 and have since been destroying farmlands and launching attacks on villagers. But no death have been recorded except the recent attack.
According to the Vanguard, residents of the community confirmed that the disturbance of the elephants is recurring as they damage their farmlands, fish nets/traps and attack villagers. They appealed for government intervention before the issue escalated.
Itasin-Imobi, a rural community in IJebu East Senatorial district of Ogun State, is hidden in a thick savannah with more of vegetation than modern agitation. It shares a boundary with Omo Forest Reserve (J4 Forest Reserve) and Lagos Lagoon. The major occupation of the villagers is farming, logging and fishing.
Elephants are believed to have strayed out from Omo Forest Reserve due to deforestation and find it difficult to go back as a result of rising water level.
In 2018, The Guardian Nigeria reported that elephants from this reserve attacked farmlands of about 14 acres. While the people of Ogun State remained silent, the Epe-Lagos residents raised alarm and demanded that governments should compensate them for their losses and force the elephants back into the reserve as the people may be forced to retaliate by killing the animals.
Authorities Reactions to the Recurring Attacks
In Honourable Adam post, he stated that the influx of the elephants into the town is not only causing economic loss to the people but also endangering their lives. He mentioned that a 10-year old elephant was killed in defense in 2021 and another farmer was attacked in 2022. He called on the State Ministries of Agriculture and Forestry to collaborate with the Nigerian Conservative Foundation (NCF) so as to preserve the ecosystem.
Despite the signage that reads; No Illegal Entry, No Farming, No Hunting, and No Logging, the Daily Trust reported that about 30 settlements have been established in the thick bush around the Omo Forest Reserve. The then Acting Project Manager of Ogun State Forestry Planting Project reacted to an attack on farmlands by the elephants as worrisome though it is caused by the fact that people trespassed and illegally occupied the place, hence no compensation for the victims.
Tunde Morakinyo, a member of the Africa Nature Investor Operation said the organization was working hand-in-hand with the NCF to establish a Wildlife Sanctuary in Omo West Reserve to conserve Elephants and other animals in the reserve.
In 2023, the Ogun State Government ordered vacation of 17 communities of illicit farmers and timber contractors. These 17 communities allegedly encroached on the buffer zones, and were involved in cocoa plantations which violate the forest law according to the Commissioner for Forestry, Taiwo Oludotun. In response to the Commissioner, the timber contractors’ representatives expressed concern over the disobedience of the government’s directive by some individuals and promised to support the Ministry’s efforts to stop the illegal activities. However, Itasin-Imobi is not among these communities.
Gaps and Government Snubs
In an interview with the Nigerian Tribune, the Chairman of Ijebu Ode Sawmill and Timber Contractors Association, Obafemi Shittu narrated how lively and conserved the reserve was before illegal migrants turned the forest into cocoa plantations. Once home to at least 10 species of forest trees like mahogany and opepe, the reserve’s biodiversity declined due to unchecked logging and farming activities.
In addition, he said trees were measured before they were being cut when the reserve was alive but this practice is now abandoned .
“Then, in those days, you had to mark the size of the tree to cut. It should not be less than six feet round in girth. But we don’t see such anymore.”
Tajudeen Sefiu was also interviewed. He is an aged man in the core area of the reserve. He narrated how some animal waste products served as medicine and the varieties of animal found in the reserve in those days. However, the blamed deforestation, farming and hunting activities cost loss of wildlife.
These narratives expose serious policy gaps and enforcement failures, hence forcing wildlife out of the reserve and sometimes into extinction. Conservation laws have been weakened and government oversight raises concerns, allowing human encroachment in high risk wildlife zones.
Call to Action
Although conservation of wildlife is important, it must not come at the cost of human safety. The Nigerian Government and Policymakers must urgently develop a clear Human-Wildlife Conflict Policy. Some of the Strategies that have positively increased human wildlife relationships could be identified in India and Namibia. While India introduced an early warning system to alert residents of elephant approaches, Namibia used different measures from innovative methods like burning chili (dry ground pepper) or spraying chili on plants to discourage, and not kill elephants, to land use planning. The Nigerian government can draw from these strategies to promote human wildlife conservation.
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Sofiyyat Lawal
Sofiyyat is a seasoned journalist from Ibadan. She covers government procurement and key community and social issues.