In response to an escalating crisis, leaders from Guyuk and Shelleng Local Government Areas of Adamawa State have visited the state government to seek urgent intervention over threats posed by rampaging hippopotamuses.
Communities in Guyuk and Shelleng, located in the Southern Senatorial District, are currently under serious threat from displaced hippopotamuses, which have invaded farmlands, homes, and riverside settlements, triggering fear and causing casualties.
Chairman of Guyuk LGA, Shalom Kassa, and his Shelleng counterpart, Abubakar Abba, were joined by traditional rulers , including the Kwandi Nunguraya, Kuruhaye Dishon Dansanda of Guyuk, and the Amna Shelleng, Dr. Abdullahi Isa Dasong ,during the visit to the Adamawa State Government.
Though Governor Ahmadu Fintiri was away on official duty, the delegation was received by the Secretary to the State Government, who assured them of the government’s attention to the issue.
Chairman Kassa confirmed the death of a young man in Banjiram after a violent encounter with one of the animals. He also reported multiple sightings of hippos in residential areas and rivers, posing dangers to both humans and livestock.
In some cases, the animals have been found in flooded homes and have destroyed farmlands.
He stressed that residents are unable to defend themselves due to legal prohibitions against harming wildlife.
“The situation is dire. We are calling on the State Ministry of Environment, wildlife officials, and other relevant agencies to urgently intervene. People are afraid, and the risk to human lives is real,” Kassa said.
He also extended condolences to the victims of the recent flood disaster in Yola town, where five people lost their lives and 55 others were hospitalized.
The Kiri Dam in Shelleng LGA, known to host over 200 hippopotamuses, is believed to be the primary source of the animals.
The release of water from the dam, combined with heavy rainfall, has likely displaced the hippos, forcing them into populated areas and resulting in dangerous human-wildlife conflicts.