Lawmakers in Nigeria had an unexpected guest in the state parliament building on Thursday. A snake fell from the ceiling on the floor of the chamber during a session forcing the legislators of the state of Ondo to take an indefinite recess.
"When we were about to enter the plenary session, a large snake ran out of the chamber, which interrupted our session and we had to hurry out of the chamber," said Olugbenga Omole, spokesman for Ondo state legislators.
The reptile did not hurt anyone before being killed by parliament staff. The type of snake has not been revealed. Omole blamed the incident on the neglected state of the assembly due to lack of funds and backward maintenance.
"That chamber is no longer safe for legislative matters and, because of that, we decided to suspend it indefinitely. The house will have an indefinite recess," he told AFP news agency quoting Omole.
He added that parliamentarians would not return until adequate pest control of the building is carried out.
This was the first incident of a snake that appeared on the assembly floor. Previously, rodents and reptiles have been reported in the bushes around the complex.
Nigeria has many snakes like poisonous vipers, spitting cobras and puff pastry additions. According to research published in the African Journal of Medicine and Medical Sciences in 2001, about 500 people per 1,00,000 of the population are bitten by snakes in Nigeria on average. One person in eight dies.
Bite incidents are reported while people grow, graze or walk through very busy areas. Less than 10 percent of snake bite victims in the country access a hospital for treatment.
In another incident, a snake was seen in the pocket of a pool table in Australia. A group of friends were enjoying a game of pool when they found the python carpet that was later rescued by snake hunters.