Church Dogs Stray, Bite Passerby To Death In Lagos

A man, Hashiru Isah has met an untimely death after he got bitten by two church dogs in the Abule-Egba area of Lagos.

According to The PUNCH, the dogs were said to have left the premises of the Catholic church and strayed onto the street where the victim was attacked.

Isah was going home on Tuesday, September 27, 2022 by 11: 30pm when the incident happened.

It was gathered that the two German shepherds in charge of the Catholic church gone missing after the attack.

According to reports, the dogs bit Isah in different parts of his body.

Though he was taken to Orile Age General Hospital but was nit able to survive as he breathed his last.

The deceased relative explained that the incident was reported at the Oke-Odo Police Station and the police swung into action by starting Investigation.

According to a source, Isah’s relatives were saddened by the event and have buried him according to Islamic rites.

The source, “The attack happened in the night. The dogs strayed onto the streets and bit him to death. The dogs are still missing; someone took them away. The victim’s family members are Hausa; they were not interested in police investigation and went ahead to bury his corpse,”

While reacting to the event, Lagos state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin affirmed that investigation is going on to locate the dogs.

He said, “The case file is still open; we haven’t closed it. But we can’t proceed with any investigation now because the deceased’s family had declined to assist with any investigation.

“The corpse of the deceased was released on compassionate grounds. We have also tried to verify things as we keep all options open. The exact circumstances have yet to be established because this recently happened.

“Findings are still being made. But indications showed that the dogs strayed onto the street and attacked a passerby. The passerby was taken to a hospital, where he later died.

“The general overseer of the church was not around; only one caretaker was at home taking care of the dogs and he has made a statement as we await the arrival of the owner of the premises and the dogs. We are still trying to locate the dogs.”

In his own remarks, a Professor of Public Health, University of Ilorin, Tanimola Akande, said the person that took the dogs away is a criminal.

Akande said, “We call dogs like that stray dogs; some of these dogs are not vaccinated, and they also get infected with rabies and become wild.

“When they bite human beings, they transfer rabies, a fatal disease. Such dogs should be captured and beheaded.

“In this case, the dogs can have rabies, but rabies does not kill immediately. Usually, the person that is bitten barks like a dog before dying. If the symptoms are not there, it is not likely to be the cause of the death.

“It is the injury that is the cause of the death. The most important thing is that the dogs need to be restrained; there shouldn’t be stray dogs. In the developed world, if dogs are outside, somebody is holding them.

“If dogs move anyhow, there are veterinarians that catch such dogs. Some of the captured dogs are killed and some owners will have to pay to get their dogs back. The Nigerian government needs to return to those days when stray dogs are captured and dealt with.”

A veterinary doctor, Funmilayo Alao, reiterated that the owner of the dogs did not report the incident to the right quarters.

She said,“There is a dog law in Lagos State that could be used to arrest the owner of the dogs. Your dog cannot just bite somebody or step out on the streets. It is because the case was not reported to the right quarters. The case could be reported at the Alausa Veterinary Department.”