A man died and two others were wounded after they were assaulted by park rangers in Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Conservation site which they were accused of entering illegally, Tanzania’s police said on Friday in a statement.
According to the police accounts, the park rangers arrested and then allegedly beat the men for entering the protected area on a motorcycle without following required procedures.
The police’s report established that one of the victims identified as Sefu Musa was found dead in the conservation site and the second named as Salimu Haji is being treated in hospital, while the third man Abdallah Nuru, managed to return to Arusha following the incident.
Speaking to local media, Nuru alleged they were brutally assaulted by the rangers at the park.
He said they had gone through the Ngorongoro gate before realising they had taken the wrong route and decided to turn back. They were arrested as they returned through the park gate by the rangers, who accused them of being poachers, despite explaining that they had lost their way and were travelling to attend a funeral.
Nuru alleged they were ordered to strip off their clothes and roll on thorny shrubs while the rangers poured water over them. He said they were also beaten. Nuru said both Musa and Haji lost consciousness amid the ordeal.
Police said that they have arrested the rangers and are investigating the circumstances in which Sefu Musa, 25, later died.
Police said the men had been travelling from the northern city of Arusha towards Babati, about 166km (103 miles) away, to attend a funeral when they lost their way.
Rights groups and local communities have previously raised alarm over the excessive force, arbitrary arrests and harassment by the rangers during conservation operations in Ngorongoro.
MG/as/APA