How Lions Killed & Ate Nigerian Pastor Who Tried To Replicate "Daniel In The Lions' Den" At Ibadan Zoo

aztec areaOct 4, 2020Read original

The story of how a Nigerian pastor tried to replicate Daniel in the Bible is definitely one that people cannot forget.

Some of us were born when it happened while others grew up to hear the story.

Some even concluded that it was just one of those stories our parents told us while growing up but surprisingly, this is actually a true story and here is what really happened.

The year was 1991 and it was a time when the University of Ibadan located in Oyo state was famous for its Zoological Garden, which is also one of the oldest in the country.

The zoo attracted so many tourists both in and out of the state and since it was an Easter Lenten Season, so many people had gathered at the zoo with family and friends for some sight-seeing.

I am sure they were not prepared for what was to come that day.

Prophet ‘Daniel’ Abodunrin just like every other person also visited the zoo that day, but he definitely did not come with sight-seeing in mind, as he had other intentions.

Actually, just one intention and that was, to replicate what was written in the Holy Bible thousands of years ago.

This was the story of a Jewish boy in Jerusalem named Daniel who was captured by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon who served in the king’s court until the time of Cyrus, the Persian emperor.

For praying to his God which was against the king’s directive at the time, Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den as punishment.

Miraculously, when everyone had thought Daniel would be dead, he survived a whole night in the den of the lions and was brought out alive with no scratch the next morning.

Well, the late Nigerian ‘Daniel’ felt that was definitely something that he would like to replicate.

It is not clear exactly how he entered the lions' cage at the zoo. One version of the story noted that he sneaked in and it all happened very fast while another version has it that he managed to convince one of the zookeepers to allow him to enter and let God demonstrate signs and wonders saying that the God of Daniel is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Well, one thing is clear though, he did not come out alive.

Pastor Abodunrin who had donned on a flowing red robe and clutched his big Holy Bible did not listen to those who warned him to stay clear from the cage of lions.

He went in, to the shock of bystanders, chanting Bible verses at the top of his voice and also speaking in tongues.

When he first made it into the enclosure of the lions, it could be said that even the lions would have been shocked as they just stared at him while he stared back.

The moment he had jumped into the cage, the lions even retreated a little and Prophet ‘Daniel’ stepped closer.

At this point, he must have been convinced he was ‘covered’ and the lions were now officially goats. Which would explain why he kept on chanting Bible verses, making gestures at the lions commanding them to be still.

He went ahead to call on the God who saved the Biblical Daniel to also come to his aid.

Everyone watched to know what would happen next and the next sight was bloody.

Abodunrin made a final approach to the lions and that was when the lions decided they had had enough.

In a flash, the lions lifted their massive bodies and charged at Abodunrin. The Bible flew away and he landed with a thud.

Pastor Abodunrin could not believe his eyes and as the lions landed on him, the look of terror in his eyes could only be better imagined. In a matter of seconds, he was torn to shreds.

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He died on the spot and the lions snacked on his remains. A single, well-aimed bite from a lion is enough to kill an adult human being in a matter of seconds.

Abodunrin’s red robe was redder with the splatter of his blood all over the place, his torn and bloodied Bible in one corner of the lions’ cage.

As soon as it happened, the story was all over the country that a pastor who entered the lion’s den was mauled to death and consumed by the beasts.

Some Christians noted that the pastor was a true man of God and that the lions were actually possessed by demons to have attacked the anointed ‘man of God’. This set of Christians were enraged and demanded that the lions be killed.

Some however argued that the lions were not rational beings as one would expect its victim to be. That was the way nature programmed it to react to such an event, and the unthinking “Daniel” should have known better.

Watch: Daniel In The Lions' Den