Eight people have been arrested for killing an elephant in a forest reserve popularly called elephants forest located in a border area between J1 and J3 in Ijebu-Igbo, Ijebu North local government area of Ogun State.

Disclosing this to newsmen in Abeokuta on Sunday, the state commissioner for forestry,  Ayo Olubori, said the animal was killed in the early hours of Thursday by a man (names withheld) after the suspect encroached the forest exclusively reserved for Elephants in the state and was later joined by some villagers in dismembering it.

Olubori described the act as a very serious crime, saying he had to pass a night in the jungle after a-three hour journey withing the forest before the suspects were arrested.

Nigerian Eye reports:

According to Olubori the killer of the elephant and some villagers who joined him in dismembering the elephants after he killed it have been taken to a police station in Ijebu-Igbo for further interrogation.

“The suspected killer of the wild animal was arrested on the spot at 1 :am . The animal is an endangered species, we have them limited, if  care is not taken  they may go into extinction. We don’t want to be sanctioned by Wild lives activists, United Nations Prohibition,  among others.

“We will charge the suspects to court hopefully by Monday. Preliminary report  indicated that, the man was sent by some prominent people in the society to get them the elephants tusks which cost N25 million each,  he has confessed to the crime and he is on tape”, the  commissioner said.