Nigerian cops free killer cow
2005-06-29 17:27
Lagos - Nigerian police have released a cow which they had arrested after it trampled a bus driver to death, but have charged the animal's owner with criminal negligence, the Lagos force said on Wednesday.
"The cow has been released after its owner appeared. He has been charged in court with negligence and a dangerous act.
"He will need to prove his innocence in court," spokesperson Olubode Ojajuni said.
Officers announced the "arrest" of the cow earlier this month after it gored and battered a bus driver who had stopped to urinate by the side of the road.
It was detained for several days at the Trade Fair police station in the Ojo district of Lagos, a sprawling port and commercial centre and Africa's biggest city, while police investigated.
Many thousands of cows, donkeys, goats, chicken and dogs are allowed to freely roam streets in Nigeria as a law against the uncontrolled movement of animals is rarely enforced.
In May, 25 people were killed when a truck carrying traders to market swerved to avoid a cow and ploughed into a crowded cross-country bus.
- AFP