This morning, the peaceful shores of Ikuru Town in Andoni LGA, Rivers State, in Nigeria were stirred by an unusual spectacle a massive whale washed up along the coastline, drawing crowds from nearby communities. But what should have inspired awe and scientific curiosity quickly turned into a troubling scene of chaos and destruction.
In photos and videos now making the rounds on social media, some locals armed with cutlasses and axes, gathered around the lifeless giant of the sea.
Rather than alerting marine authorities or environmental agencies, many rushed to carve the whale’s flesh, viewing it as free meat rather than a protected marine species.
This isn’t the first time such an incident has occurred along Nigeria’s coastal communities, but it begs urgent questions: What value do we place on marine life? And when did we become so detached from the responsibility of stewardship?
Whales are not just massive creatures of the ocean, they are protected species under international and national conservation laws. Many whale strandings are due to stress, illness, ocean pollution, or changes in marine routes caused by climate change. Their appearance on our shores is not a gift; it’s often a cry for help, a sign of deeper ecological issues we must investigate.
But rather than protect, preserve, or report, the community at Ikuru once again chose destruction.
This act is not culture, it is ignorance. It is a failure of environmental education, policy enforcement, and national conscience.
We urge the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) and marine conservation bodies to immediately investigate this incident, educate coastal communities, and begin a serious campaign to stop the slaughter of whales and other endangered sea creatures.
Let this not be another photo-op for social media likes. Let it spark a movement for marine awareness. The whale that died on our shores today should not die in vain.
Stories by Ademu Usman Idakwo
