The Animal Welfare Students’ Club (AWSC), University of Ibadan, has condemned what it described as an act of animal cruelty involving a live chicken during the 2026 Mr and Miss UI pageant.
In a statement issued following the circulation of a video of the incident, the club alleged that a contestant, Obidare Taofeek Omobolaji, subjected a live chicken to harmful treatment on stage during the pageant.
According to the AWSC, the video showed Omobolaji handling the chicken in a manner the club considered cruel and harmful. The organisation expressed concern about the use of a live animal during a student event and questioned the safeguards in place for animals used in university activities.
Omobolaji was contestant number eight in the Mr Unibadan category of the 2026 pageant. The official pageant platform listed him among the 20 contestants competing for the Mr and Miss Unibadan titles. The grand finale was scheduled for September 19, 2026.
The AWSC said it is seeking clarification from the University of Ibadan Students’ Union on the circumstances surrounding the presence and use of the live animal on stage.
The club called on the Students’ Union to issue a public statement addressing the incident and explaining how the animal came to be used during the event.
It also requested that Omobolaji be engaged directly by the club for sensitisation and education on animal welfare and humane animal handling.
Beyond the specific incident, the AWSC called for guidelines prohibiting the use, display or harmful treatment of live animals during pageants, skits and other student events.
The club also referenced Section 495 of Nigeria’s Criminal Code, which provides for offences relating to cruelty to animals, including cruelly beating, ill-treating, torturing or terrifying an animal, as well as causing unnecessary suffering or subjecting an animal to an operation without due care and humanity.
The club said it would continue to monitor developments surrounding the matter and advocate for the humane treatment of animals within the university community.
