Nigeria: Fisherman Eaten By Crocodiles in Kaduna

4 August 2007
Posted to the web 4 August 2007

Emeka Mamah
Kaduna

TRAGEDY occurred in Kaduna State when a middle-aged fisherman, Mallam Hamisu Umar was killed and eaten up by crocodiles in the Kaduna River.

Umar was said to be on a normal fishing expedition when a female crocodile and its seven young ones killed him weekend.


The crocodiles were said to be lurking around the river in search of food in the early hours of the fateful day when Mallam Umar boarded his canoe to commence his business for the day.

"He had just picked up his paddle and tried to paddle his canoe into the river when the vicious animal moved out of hiding and pounced on him, pulling him into the river in conjunction with its hungry young ones.

"They devoured him while his colleagues watched helplessly from the bank of the river," eye-witnesses said.

The late Umar was however said to have been aware of the presence of the crocodiles as he and his colleagues had resolved earlier to keep away from the river until after a certain period when they would have moved to somewhere else.

One Mallam Abubakar who claimed to be a colleague of the deceased said:

"All the fishermen operating in this area saw the crocodile with seven other young ones believed to be its young ones at the bank of river together with late Umar two days before the incident.

"And because we could not kill them, we unanimously decided not to go fishing again around the spot they were found until after a certain time when the animals would have migrated to other places.

"I can not actually attribute any reason why Hamisu Umar decided to embark on the ill-fated fishing expedition knowing that dangerous animals were at that particular spot", Mallam Abubakar said.

Also, a relation of the deceased who identified himself as Mallam Mohammed said that fishermen operating in the zone had resolved that there should be no fishing activities within the spot where the crocodiles were sighted until such a time when the area was safe, adding that he could not imagine why his brother went there again having sighted the crocodiles earlier.

"We could not find any part of his body that we could bury. We did not bury him. However, prayers have been said for him according to Islamic injunctions," he added.The name Kaduna was said to be derived from crocodile (Kada) as the whole area is infested with the dangerous animal.