Follow Us on Google
From Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
Commissioner for Forestry in Ogun State, Oludotun Taiwo, has defended the state government’s action of enforcing vacation notice and destruction of illegal structures within the Omo Forest Reserve.
According to Oludotun, the action of the state government had become imperative in order to halt the destruction of economic trees, as well as illegal occupation by suspected bandits.
He equally said the eviction of illegal occupants and destruction of unapproved structures was to prevent the suspected hoodlums from turning the foremost and biggest forest reserve in the country into another Sambisa Forest.
Oludotun stated this while addressing newsmen in his office in Oke Mosan, Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, yesterday.
He emphasised that nefarious activities of residents of the 17 villages, particularly Etemi Gerald, have impacted negatively not only on the trees planted by the state government with several billions of Naira, but also on the flora and fauna lives within the Queen’s Forest and Omo Biosphere Reserve covering 1,000 hectares of forest land.
He lamented how the inhabitants of the village had encroached and caused wanton damages to the Queen’s Forest Reserve, which according to him, was adopted as a Biosphere Reserve in 1949, and enlisted as one of the World’s Forest Heritage by UNESCO in 1977.
Oludotun added that the illegal inhabitants have built houses, and cultivated several cocoa farms, thereby destroying economic and conserved tree species that are preserved for research purposes in the forest reserve.
The Commissioner, while further justifying the actions of the state government, disclosed that prior to the destruction of the illegal structures carried out on March 20, 2024, his ministry had in December 13, 2023, invited the heads of the 17 villages to a meeting, where everyone in attendance agreed that farming and erection of permanent structures within the Forest Reserves without consent of the state is illegal.
He expressed shock that a resistance could be posed by an unknown group of militia men, who fired at the security team that accompanied officials of the ministry during the demolition operation, where no fewer than 23 illegal buildings were pulled down.
Oludotun, however, fingered Akinlolu Kehinde, as the ringleader of militia men wreaking havoc on the Forest Reserve, especially in the buffer zone of the Queen’s Forest.
“Akinlolu Kehinde is breeding criminals inside our Forest Reserve. He either led or instigated hoodlums to attack our task force officials.
“We won’t fold our arms and allow our Forest Reserves to be turned into Sambisa. There is proof, including photographic evidence, that a cache of firearms are stockpiled in the forest reserve.
“Activities of illegal occupants have led to the destruction of the economic trees, other flora and fauna organisms in the reserve, which is one of the nine in the state.
“It was not surprising that the residents of Etemi Gerald carried weapons. It has become a trend in the Reserve. It is on record that some of their members in Aba Titun attacked security operatives with a police officer still missing, a Divisional Police Officer (DPO) shot, guns such as AK47 rifles and others carted away without consequences. This, we believe, has emboldened them and their cohorts to spread across villages like Etemi Gerald, Eseke and others
“It is not surprising too that these hoodlums make an attempt to blackmail the state government’s agency as it is evident that they have the backing of unscrupulous elements in the society.
“Ogun State Government will not close its eyes and allow backers giving them uncivilised action plans to distract it from its resolve to regenerate our Forest Reserves. It beats my imagination that, Mr. Akinlolu Kehinde could be so bold to the extent of blackmailing a government that is trying its possible best to protect heritage handed over by our forefathers. We are, however, not deterred by the antics of mischief makers. We will continue to bring up and pursue policies that engender the protection of our forest resources for the coming generation,” Oludotun submitted.
