Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has given criminals operating in the state’s forest reserves 14 days to vacate the forests.
The governor’s Senior Special Assistant on Forestry, Bidemi Obayangban, disclosed this on Wednesday while speaking with journalists in Akure.
Obayangban said the directive was particularly targeted at kidnappers and other criminal elements using the forests as hideouts.
He explained that the move formed part of the state government’s efforts to improve security and create a safer environment for legitimate economic activities.
According to him, security was essential to the government’s plans to develop the forestry sector, attract investors and protect farmers and other legitimate operators.
“A vision without maximum security to ensure the safety of investors, farmers, timber contractors and those conducting legitimate business across Ondo State’s forest reserves is effectively meaningless,” Obayangban said.
He said the administration had concluded plans to tackle kidnapping and other criminal activities in the forests, adding that security agencies and hunters across the state were collaborating with the government to restore security.
“Consequently, the primary focus of the Aiyedatiwa administration is to flush out criminal elements from our forests. We are taking the battle directly to them.
“The government is fully committed to this objective and has finalised comprehensive plans to eliminate kidnapping and other illegal activities within our borders,” he said.
Obayangban said Aiyedatiwa preferred a discreet and action-oriented approach to security matters but stressed that the government was determined to reclaim the forests from criminal elements.
“I am using this opportunity to announce that the state government is giving these individuals 14 days to vacate Ondo State forests.
“Failure to comply will result in them meeting their Waterloo,” he said.
He added that restoring security to the forests was critical to the government’s broader plan to revitalise the forestry sector and promote legitimate economic activities.
Obayangban said the administration recognised that sustainable economic growth could not be achieved in an environment where farmers, investors and other legitimate operators were exposed to insecurity.
