The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Snakes

  • Ten reasons snakes may find their way into homes

    Ten reasons snakes may find their way into homes

    The death of singer Ifunanya Nwagene has triggered widespread reactions from Nigerians, particularly on social media, amid reports that she died after being bitten by a snake in her Abuja residence.

    The circumstances surrounding the incident have fuelled public debate, with many users expressing shock, grief and concern over household safety, especially in urban areas.

    In the wake of the incident, attention has turned to factors that can attract snakes into residential spaces. Below are ten reasons snakes may enter homes:

    1. They’re trying to escape the heat

    Nigeria’s hot weather forces snakes to look for cooler spots. Shady rooms, bathrooms and tiled floors inside houses can feel like a safe retreat from the sun.

    2. They’re looking for water

    When rivers, puddles and gutters dry up, snakes follow moisture. Leaking taps, toilets, bathrooms, and even water stored around the house can attract them.

    3. Flooding pushes them out

    Early rains and sudden flooding can wash out snakes from their burrows. With nowhere else to go, they may end up in nearby homes.

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    4. Overgrown surroundings make it easy. Tall grass, untrimmed bushes and abandoned plots around houses give snakes the cover they need to move around unnoticed — and eventually slip indoors.

    5. Rats and lizards invite them

    Snakes go where food is. If your house has rats, mice, frogs or lizards, snakes may follow.

    6. Small openings are enough

    Snakes don’t need big doors. Gaps under doors, cracked walls, broken windows or open drains are more than enough for them to get inside.

    7. Clutter gives them hiding places

    Stacks of firewood, cartons, old furniture or building materials create quiet, dark spots that snakes love to hide in.

    8. Living close to farms or bush areas

    Homes near farmlands, bush paths or undeveloped land are more exposed, especially when land is cleared or bushes are burned.

    9. Animals around the house

    Keeping poultry, goats or animal feed in residential compounds can attract rodents, and snakes usually follow.

    10. It’s just the season

    Certain times of the year make snakes more active, whether for breeding or movement, increasing the chances of encounters with people.

  • FULL LIST: How to keep snakes away from your home

    FULL LIST: How to keep snakes away from your home

    An Abuja-based music talent, Ifunanya Nwangene, died on Saturday after sustaining a snakebite, prompting renewed concerns over snake safety, especially in residential areas.

    Nwangene, a soprano singer with the Amemuso Choir, died on Saturday at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abuja.

    The choir confirmed her death in a statement by its Music Director, Sam Ezugwu.

    “We regret to announce the sudden demise of our beloved soprano, Ifunanya Nwangene, who passed away yesterday, January 31, 2026, at the Federal Medical Centre following a snakebite,” the statement read in part.

    Describing her death as a major loss to Abuja’s growing music community, the choir said Nwangene was a rising star who was close to gaining wider recognition for her talent.

    “Ifunanya was on the cusp of sharing her incredible gift with the world. Her voice and spirit will be deeply missed,” the statement added.

    Read Also: Doctors bemoan invasion of wards by snakes

    The choir said details of her burial arrangements would be announced later.

    Health experts warn that snakes often bite when startled or threatened, both during the day and at night. Their venom can be fatal if victims do not receive immediate medical attention.

    Snakebite remains a major public health challenge in rural and semi-urban communities across Nigeria and other tropical regions.

    Health authorities estimate that about 2,000 people die from snakebites annually in Nigeria, with many more suffering long-term complications.

    In light of this, experts advise residents to take preventive measures to reduce the presence of snakes around their homes.

    Here are ways to keep snakes away from your home:

    1. Clear bushes and cut grass short around your home. Snakes avoid open, exposed areas where they can be easily seen.

    2 Inspect your house regularly, especially gaps under doors. Seal cracks in walls, foundations, and floors.

    3.  Move wood piles away from the house, as they provide ideal hiding spots for snakes.

    4.. Avoid leaving doors and windows open for long periods, especially in the evening, as some snakes can climb quietly and unnoticed.

    5. Check shaded areas before resting outdoors, as snakes are attracted to cool, shaded environments.

    6. Inspect your bed and surroundings before sleeping, including under sheets and mattresses.

    7. Avoid sitting or sleeping outside on mats or mattresses in the evening, when snakes are more active.

    8. Use approved snake repellents where necessary.

  • Five countries where snakes don’t exist

    Five countries where snakes don’t exist

    Pastor Isaac Omolehin, a renowned man of God in Kwara state, in a recent message, said St Padraigh (Patrick), a Roman Catholic priest, ordered all the snakes in Ireland and chased them into the sea, claiming that is why there are no snakes in Ireland. He also noted that Ireland is the only country without snakes.

    However, checks by the Nation reveal that Ireland is one of the most snake-free nations, because after the Ice Age, snakes never made their way onto the island, and the cool climate further discouraged their survival.

    Here are five countries where snakes don’t exist

    1. Ireland

    Ireland is one of the most famous snake-free nations. After the Ice Age, snakes never made their way onto the island, and the cool climate further discouraged their survival.

    Although folklore credits St. Patrick with driving snakes away, history shows they simply never lived there.

    2. Iceland

    With its subarctic temperatures and isolation in the North Atlantic, Iceland offers no habitat for snakes. The country also enforces strict animal importation laws to protect its delicate environment.

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    3. New Zealand

    Despite its rich biodiversity, New Zealand has no native land snakes. The government maintains tight biosecurity measures, making it one of the most secure places in the world for people with ophidiophobia (fear of snakes).

    4. Greenland

    The frigid Arctic conditions of Greenland leave no chance for snakes to survive. The island’s wildlife is dominated by species that are well adapted to freezing environments, such as polar bears and seals.

    5. Antarctica

    The coldest place on Earth is inhospitable to all reptiles. Snakes, along with other cold-blooded creatures, simply cannot survive in Antarctica’s extreme climate.

    Hawaii: While not entirely snake-free, Hawaii strictly prohibits snake ownership and importation. The rare snakes found there are usually escaped or illegally smuggled pets.

  • Doctors bemoan invasion of wards by snakes

    Doctors bemoan invasion of wards by snakes

    Association of Resident Doctors at Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex, Ile-Ife, Osun State has lamented invasion of wards by snakes.

    It also decried poor welfare and shortage of medical staff.

    The union frowned at non-payment of 14-month salary to 42 doctors, non-capturing of members into Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) and non-payment of allowance.

    Read Also: Snakes, reptiles have taken over Osun courtrooms, NBA alleges

    The doctors, in a communique by the President and General Secretary, Dr. Enesi Ibukunoluwa and Dr. Michael Omenugha, obtained by The Nation yesterday, dated June 26, 2024, raised three observations for quick intervention by the Federal Government.

  • The snakes and monkeys in some of us

    Last week, we wrote about the interesting and scandalous times we are in, in this country and elsewhere.

    We can’t but return to the subject of snakes, monkeys and what have you, in the animal kingdom that Nigeria is gradually being turned to.

    The fear of EFCC has been the beginning of wisdom since the advent of the civilian administration, dating back to the Obasanjo era in 1999 when there were no sacred cows in the pursuit of, and clampdown on, government officials with itchy fingers. The prying eyes of the eagle that the EFCC symbolised brought out the ingenuity in our people such that graves for the dead and septic tanks for human faeces became near impregnable vaults for keeping stolen money.

    But where can the eagle not see from a very dizzying height? The eagle noticed night visitations to the ‘graves’ when it is not a common fad to carry out burials at night; and also saw that those who observe the dry fast religiously among the Christian and Islamic faithful still fill up their septic tanks with ‘wastes from the intestine’ even when their stomachs are supposed to have been denied of any food or beverage.

    That fired the curiosity of the eagle, otherwise called EFCC, and thus emerged incredibly but true tales of top guns either in agbada and babaringa or in well-starched Army or Navy or Air Force uniforms storing their riches in pits, water storage tanks, septic tanks and even graves of decomposed human bodies, and NOT in conventional banks.

    But if the EFCC guys, reputed for eagle eyes and sensitive noses, think they have all it takes to trace and track their victims, they are mistaken – from evidences now emerging.

    You can jail the ingenious unarmed robbers whose only tool, as against the other conventional robbers with knives, cutlasses and guns; is the deftness of their pens. But whoever has heard that the snake ever gets nabbed and imprisoned? Yorubas have a saying that “ejo o kin ns’ewon”, to underline the truism in that assertion.

    This must have been taken to heart by some kleptomaniacs who consulted the snakes to steal for them, in the crazy belief that no reprisal can be visited on the members of the animal kingdom even if discovered in the end.  Not long ago, over N30 million naira got swallowed by a snake in a JAMB office. Now, we are also hearing that a monkey has ‘chopped’ over N70 million of our commonwealth, pointing in the direction that the bigger the animal, the larger the amount of money that can disappear into their belly. You can then be sure that when it is the turn of lions, rhinoceros and elephants, all the money in the vaults of the nation’s Central Bank would have disappeared before the four or eight-year tenure of any Administration.

    Nigeria is no longer an amazing country but a very amusing one at that. It is a tragi-comedy scenario, aptly captured by a younger neighbour and friend in a banter over some drinks a few days ago. Dr Amos Fayehun, has a Ph.D in banking and business administration and he has a robust knowledge of philosophy. He made allusion to the insects, reptiles and animals kingdom.

    He pointed to what you and I know but never ruminated upon before now. Animals are equally as organised as human beings, you know, and hespoke of small ants digging down while the family of the bigger ants known as termites build up. So organised, he said these termites are that they have among them kings and queens and the soldiers to protect them. Mercifully, these termites have a body mass that cannot store up money in their bellies, except decimate naira notes to shreds, which of course will not serve the purpose of the kleps’ of which Nigeria is afflicted.

    But you never can tell: when all their bags of tricks have been exhausted, these kleptomaniacs can adopt the attitude, “if it won’t be mine, let it not be anyone’s”. Yorubas say “ka ka k’eku ma je seese, a fi ki se awadanu”, meaning if the rat can’t devour the bigger-than-the-normal beans, it had better been spilled all over the floor.  Termites can then be contracted to do the hatchet job for these God forsaken thieves and let heavens be damned! Who really will save this country?

  • Okon is overthrown by snakes

    These are serpentine times in the nation. Slithering creeps abound everywhere. They climb all skyscrapers and burrow in all man-made crevices. They lurk in the most private chambers and luxuriate in the most public of places. It was not long ago when it was reported that the slimy reptiles had invaded the presidential office, forcing the occupant to adjourn presidential proceedings till further notice. Not since Camara Laye’s The Radiance of the King where a huge snake was sighted making torrid love to an old woman had such dark and morbid imaginings seized control of a society.

    As absurdities mount upon absurdities in this country, as darker comedies supplant dark comedies, you begin to wonder how it will all end. How will future writers describe this period?  How will future satirists portray a society where snakes steal money from humans? From the Garden of Eden to the Gathering of Pythons?

    As soon as it was reported that executive snakes had swallowed proceeds from scratch cards bought by JAMB candidates, there had been a dramatic rise in incidents of snake bites all over the country.  Adverts suddenly went up in newspapers requesting for the services of snake charmers. In a remarkable case of reality beating fiction at its own game, a serving senator was reported to have invaded JAMB office with a retinue of crack snake charmers ready to charm human snakes and snaky humans. The borderline between fictional reality and realistic fiction has evaporated in Nigeria.

    As it is to be expected, Okon has been in the thick of action, gathering dangerous snakes from every nook and cranny of the nation and keeping them in a humongous iron cage inside the abandoned garage which he called a “safe house”. Every morning, the mad boy would begin by berating and lambasting all the snakes asking the culprit among them to confess, failing which they all would face mass execution. He had even brought in a man called Baba Tonkere who is reputed to be the most fearsome snake charmer in the whole country to facilitate confession and possible plea-bargaining among the snakes.

    “I been dey do JAMB for twenty years now, I never sabi say after snake don swallow my money na fake result dem dey give Okon. I don cram dem Soyinka man from head to toe, but each time dem fat crooks dey tell man say I know make cut off mark, so na today today I go cut off your yeye head”, Okon screamed at the terrified snakes.

    On Friday, the whole compound erupted in massive commotion. Yours sincerely woke up to phenomenal hisses and distressed whistling coming from Okon’s safe house. A revolt of snakes, or more properly a coup among serpents, appeared to be underway. The snakes, led by a vicious viper, were trying to break loose from the safe house. Snooper opened the shutter from his bedroom and there was Okon trying to whip the viper back into the cage with an iron staff as Baba Lekki hobbled about in senile ecstasy.

    “Okon, Okon, where is Baba Tonkere?” snooper shouted at the mad boy.

    “Ha oga, dat one be like dem case of baba don catch fire and you dey ask for him beard. Dem mad cobra come bite him blokos and he come run comot Lagos quick, quick shouting Ledumare, ledumare!” the mad boy retorted with a sadistic grin.

    “Snake come kaput and snake charmer don kaput. No case submission. Na dat one dem Yoruba people dey call amodemaja, when you capture hunter and him dog together”, Baba Lekki sneered and burst into a sadistic laugh.

    “Oga, no mind baba oo, him head no correct again. Him dey cry since dem court finish dem for the Oba wahala for Ibadan. Him wan become local oba”, Okon sniggered.

    “God forbid that one. I am Lambert Alekuso, the Elegiri of Agbadagbudu, Bada of Mokore, Ikolaba of….”  It was at this point that a strange overconfidence led Okon to a fatal error of judgement. The vicious viper broke through the iron cage and all hell was let loose with Okon and the deranged old man taking to their heels as wild snakes overran the compound.

     

  • In defence of snakes

    In defence of snakes

    THE incident remains fresh in my memory. It was an early harmattan morning in 1974, my first year in secondary school. I had finished the morning duties – fetching water for my college father and sweeping the Form Three classroom before braving the biting cold to shower near the school dam. It was time to dress up and get set for the assembly.

    My uniform of a green pair of shorts and a white shirt was lying there, neatly arranged behind my seat in the classroom. I pulled off the dirty shirt with which I did the early morning chores, pulled out the white shirt, put it on and buttoned up. I was already running late. Chief Guy Gargiulo (GG), a born teacher and humanist of the finest kind, never tolerated late coming to the assembly- one of those dreaded routines at Ajuwa Grammar School, Okeagbe – Akoko, Ondo State.

    It was for prayers, Bible reading and singing of soul-lifting hymns. But it could all turn sour if GG got angry and needed to use the cane. He would be screaming and swearing, “Bloody hell.” Ah. What a terrifying experience for us the junior boys who had to strain our ears to make out why theoyinbo was angry. He would be talking so fast, fuming and vibrating like a huge boom box working at full capacity.

    I grabbed my shorts and jumped into them. Then, I noticed that the right pocket was unusually heavy. I pushed my right hand into it to find out why. The object in there was soft and slimy, like a nylon bag. As I pulled it, I discovered that it was long. I looked down to find out what it was. I saw the tail of what looked like a long snake and began to scream. I couldn’t pull off my shorts. Neither could I grab the snake and fling it out of my pocket. What if it decided to bite me? My mates were laughing. To them, it was fun. To me, it was hell. I was yelling. One of the boys displayed some courage, moved close, a stick in his hand, and flogged out the snake. It fell gently on the floor, immobile. It was a dead snake with which somebody had decided to pull a fast one on me.

    My subsequent encounters with snakes at Ajuwa were full of fun. GG ensured that none of us feared snakes- the only thing he said he ever feared. The day he got bitten by one was the end of the fear, he told us. We had in the school library several books on snakes. GG kept some as pets, but he warned us never to go near a cobra. “It is deadly. If it bites you, you’re finished; o pa ri,” he would advise us. The green snake we went after and caught alive any time.

    I felt good recently with one of GG’s snakes playing on my neck when I visited his The Plaedi home on a massive rock in Okeagbe.

    You can therefore imagine my disgust and anger with what is fast becoming a grand design to demonise snakes, following the confession of an official of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) that a mysterious snake swallowed N35m cash belonging to the agency. JAMB has suddenly become a testimony to the claim that the anti-corruption war is on, with Prof Isha-q Oloyede leading the battle.

    Where are our animal rights activists? Here is another crude attempt to blackmail an innocent animal and nobody seems to be raising a finger in anger over these attacks. When President Muhammadu Buhari returned from his medical trip, he could not resume work in his office. We were told that rats had seized the place. Construction giant Julius Berger was called in to flush them out.

    Even before the President’s return, his wife Aisha had been talking about hyenas and jackals who would be kicked off the corridors of power upon the arrival of the lion.

    “Some criminals have also blackmailed cows, using the poor beasts of burden to destroy farmlands that represent many years of sweating and toiling. Should the landowners complain, they pounce on them with AK-47 rifles, killing, maiming and burning. Everything is blamed on the poor cows for whom the marauders claim they are fighting.”

    In the heat of  Nnamdi Kanu ‘s Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) whirlwind of protests, the military launched Operation Python Dance I to fight criminals in the Southeast. Many wondered how a python was going to dance. Before the early sounds of the drums that would herald the dancing python, Kanu had engaged his feet. He fled. To date, his whereabouts remain a subject of serious contestation.

    That was when I suspected that a grand conspiracy against snakes was in the offing. Monkeys seem to be lucky. They are accused of causing monkey pox. Ebola is associated with some animals, none in particular but those that are of special delicacy, popularly called bushmeat. There are also chicken pox, bird flu and others associated with animals.

    Never in the history of ethology has it been proven that snakes could devour cash. Now, a court is set to hear how this happened. Many zoology giants and renowned criminologists are said to be on their way to Nigeria to witness the landmark case; Federal Government versus Philomina Chieshe, who claimed that a snake swallowed N36m she kept in her office.

    I am told by sources who claim to have seen the charges, that Chieshe will tell the court the denomination of the cash – was it in N1,000 or N500 notes?  Or N200 or N10 or N50? How long did it take the snake to swallow the cash – one hour? One day? Three days? Are there witnesses? Why did Chieshe not raise the alarm? Was the snake induced to do it?

    What kind of snake was involved in this mysterious venture? Python? Corn snake? Viper? Cobra? Rattlesnake? Carpet Viper? Male or female?

    JAMB  has meanwhile suspended Chieshe – apparently to enable her assemble her legal team. Lawyers, by the trainload, I gather, are said to be warming up to join her defence. They will, according to sources, submit that the court has no jurisdiction to hear the matter as it borders on mysticism. If the court refuses to listen, they will ask that the snake be subpoenaed.

    As the court clerk searches for the snake to serve the summons, the legal giants will counter-sue JAMB, claiming N1b damages for making public a piece of information Chieshe gave its officials in strict confidence, thereby trampling on her right to hold  and protect such esoteric confidentialities.

    Should the court insist on the trial, Chieshe will simply be advised to check into a hospital, live well and return home when the dust must have settled and the term would have been served out doing the case. Everybody will go in peace; justice is served.

    Snakes have now become an-endangered species. Fortune-hunters are killing them in a desperate bid to extract the N36m. Yet, our animal rights activists are sleeping. A politician was saying the other day that if the incident had happened in Ekiti State, Governor Ayo Fayose would have assembled all the master hunters –dane guns, headlamps, amulets, charms and all – to retrieve the cash up to the last kobo. Anyway, can we force anybody to emulate Ekiti?

    Besides, snakes have become the subject of offensive jokes. I chanced upon a video yesterday. A woman comes out of the bathroom to find his son on all fours in the living room. Crawling, like a baby. Shocked, she screams: “Blood of Nebuchadnezzar. Dami, what are you doing?”

    “I’m practising for my new job to be a snake.” The woman grabs a bottle of holy oil and cries: “Blood of Jesus. You’ll never be a snake. I anoint you in the name of the father.”

    Unyielding, the boy replies: “Mummy, that’s the new hot job in Nigeria o. Snakes are swallowing things all over the place and they say you keep whatever you swallow. One has just swallowed N36m. That’s $100,000. Let me do my snake o.”

    The mum screams, “N36m!”  She drops the bottle of holy oil and begins to crawl. “Mummy what are you doing?” the bewildered boy asks his mum. She replies excitedly: “We are a snake family.”

    And this, just in from a friend: “I’m just leaving the bank now. I went to drop bitter kola around the premises because of snakes. I no wan hear say anything do my money.”

    The situation is not without a redeeming feature, however, nevertheless, Senator Shehu Sani (APC Kaduna …) was reported to have led some snake charmers from his constituency to the JAMB office in Abuja to help should there be more snakes trying to swallow what does not belong to them. Now snake charmers can no longer complain that there is no work.

    Many unemployed youths are now training to become snake charmers.  Some pubic-spirited lawyers are encouraging them to incorporate an association so that untrained hands do not hijack the trade in this age of quackery.

    The rich are said to be thinking of how to get some snakes as pests. The bright idea is that if they keep their cash in the bellies of snakes, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) detectives will never get them.

     

     

     

  • Snakes, charmers and witch-doctors

    One of the small joys of writing this column is the fact that one is never short of materials. Considering that we are merry dwellers of a corner of the globe seemingly subsisting on ribaldry, Hardball has a queer job of serving you a daily broth of lampoon. In a land fertile for pale frangipanis and mirthless black teas, let’s say adversities have their uses too.

    And last Monday was boon day for this column. A dozen incongruities littered the news pages and yours truly was so spoiled for choice he opted for a salad. Here:

    First: charmers’ bazaar: Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University (UMYU) in Katsina, Katsina State is said to have employed the services of snake charmers to check the influx of killer snakes into their premises. The Dean of Students Affairs of the institution confirmed this story with much gusto: “Yes, we have employed the services of snake charmers to assist in getting rid of snakes on campus.”

    But the tragedy behind this story is that Zainab Umar, a final year Economics student died a few days ago following complications from a snake bite on the campus.

    Now Hardball confesses he doesn’t understand the works and workings of a snake charmer so we shall have to live by conjectures. How many charmers shall be needed for a vast university campus for instance? A hundred, perhaps a thousand? So they can man all the nooks and bush paths.

    Does a snake charmer live by sight, smell or sound? Or does he have a way of calling out the slithering crawlers? Something like: “Common, ropy-dopy out, Mr. Charm loves you!” thereupon the forked-tongued creeper would wriggle into the warm embrace of the charmer.

    Well what do you know? When science fails a citadel of modern learning, it just might be wise to resort to the good old art of magic and superstition; while praying       that no other student is bitten to his or her early death.

    Second: Maina, a snake and charmer: The story of a certain Abdulrasheed Maina is so fascinating that the top dog civil servant could well be a snake and charmer morphed into one. Maina was called in to clean up a pensions mess and he is alleged to have cleaned out the scheme to the tune of hundreds of billions of naira. Put on wanted list, but like a great snake, he could neither be detained, arrested nor even sacked. He still snakes around government offices like a dreadful serpent.

    Finally, the charmed lives of George Oppong Weah: One time world footballer of the year, Weah who faces a re-run in the Liberian presidential election November 7 visited TB Joshua in Lagos last Sunday. Here are Pastor Joshua’s charming words: “We are not herbalists or witch-doctors; we are people of God. God’s choice is our choice.” Dear reader, only an amen will do here.

     

  • Snakes cause panic in Yenagoa

    Sudden appearances of snakes, especially cobras on streets and homes in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital are creating panic among residents.

    Some persons attributed the development to consistent rainfalls and floods experienced in many parts of the capital city.

    Others, however, said the underdeveloped nature of Yenagoa which has bushes, unkempt canals and many undeveloped plots of land provide safe haven for snakes and reptiles.

    Residents of the Apex Academy road of Amarata community on Imgbi road at the weekend were said to have discovered a giant cobra in a vehicle and rallied round to kill it.

    One of the residents identified as Chidera said the cobra was discovered in a vehicle owned by a trader.

    “At about 7am, the owner of the vehicle, Emmanuel, called an auto repairer to fix the vehicle but discovered a large snake hiding in the vehicle.

    “The man rushed to call some residents of the area to assist him. Some youths gathered and killed the snake,” he said.

    Another resident identified as Joshuaý said there have been movements of snakes around the Amarata since the rainfall started.

    “Some weeks ago, I saw a huge snake at the back of my house in the morning. Attempts to kill the cobra failed as it was ready to strike,” he said.

    A local snake expert, Festus Ogienwon, advised residents to be careful while walking at night.

    He further asked people to ensure their doors are tightly closed at all time to avoid snakes crawling into their apartments to hide.

  • Snakes cause panic in Bayelsa

    Snakes cause panic in Bayelsa

    Sudden appearances of snakes especially Cobras on streets and homes in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital is creating panic among residents.

    Some persons attributed the development to consistent rainfalls and floods experienced in many parts of the capital city.

    Others, however, said the underdeveloped nature of Yenagoa which has bushes, unkempt canals and many undeveloped plots of land provide safe haven for snakes and reptiles.

    Residents of the Apex Academy road of Amarata community on Imgbi road at the weekend were said to have discovered a giant cobra in a vehicle and rallied round to kill it.

    One of the residents identified as Chidera, said the cobra was discovered in a vehicle owned by a trader.

    “At about 7am, the owner of the vehicle, Emmanuel, called an auto repairer to fix the vehicle but discovered a large snake hiding in the vehicle.

    “The man rushed to call some residents of the area to assist him. Some youths gathered and killed the snake”, he said.

    Another resident identified as Joshua‎, said there have been movements of snakes around the Amarata since the rainfall started.

    “Some weeks ago, I saw a huge snake at the back of my house in the morning. Attempts to kill the cobra failed as it was ready to strike”, he said.

    But a local snake expert, Festus Ogienwon, advised residents to be careful while walking at night.

    He further asked people to ensure their doors are tightly closed at all time to avoid snakes crawling into their apartments to hide.