The police in Adamawa state said the vulture arrested in Maiha has so far eaten meat worth N30,000 after spending six days in detention. The vulture was arrested alongside a woman that owned it after residents complained that the bird’s presence created fear in the community.
The Police Public Relations Officer of the command, DSP Othman Abubakar, said the command might incur more cost as it continued to detain the bird. He said investigation into the appearance of the bird in the area was still going on.
The Commissioner of Police, Adamu Audu Madaki, had earlier told journalists that the duo were apprehended following a formal complaint from a senior member of the community that the bird’s presence caused panic as it was considered a harbinger of impending insurgency attacks.
Madaki said an elder in Maiha complained that a woman had brought a vulture and that the last time someone kept three vultures Maiha, the area was invaded by insurgents in a matter of few days.
The police commissioner noted that since the community seemed to be disturbed by the presence of the vulture, he advised the man to lodge a complain with the Divisional Police Officer in Maiha which he did, leading to the eventual arrest of the woman and the vulture.
He explained that the police upon receipt of such complaints must launch an investigation to ascertain the credibility of the allegation with a view to taking the necessary action to maintain peace and harmony. “So, we want to ascertain what the vulture is meant for,” said Madaki.
Since the news of arrest of the woman and her vulture filtered members of public became curious with many peddling rumours that the vulture was a woman who turned to a bird in detention Maiha is one of the seven local government areas controlled by Boko Haram insurgents between 2014 and 2015 until the liberation of the territory by Nigerian military.
