Governor Lucky Ayedetiwa

Author: Gist Correspondent

Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has given suspected kidnappers and other criminal elements operating in the state’s forest reserves 14 days to vacate the forests or face security operations.

The governor’s Senior Special Assistant on Forestry, Hon. Bidemi Joshua Obayangban, disclosed this while speaking with journalists in Akure, the state capital.

Obayangban said the directive was part of the state government’s plans to restore security and create a safe environment for legitimate economic activities within the forest reserves.

He said the government could not achieve its plans to transform the forestry sector without adequate security for investors, farmers, timber contractors and other legitimate operators.

According to him, the Aiyedatiwa administration had concluded comprehensive plans to tackle kidnapping and other criminal activities in the state’s forests.

“It is important to note that all security agencies and hunters across Ondo State are in complete accord and are working in close collaboration with the government to achieve this,” he said.

The governor’s aide said the administration had adopted a direct approach to dealing with criminal elements in the forests, adding that the time had come to end their activities.

“I am using this opportunity to announce that the state government is giving these individuals 14 days to vacate Ondo State forests,” Obayangban said.

He warned that those who failed to comply with the directive would face security action.

Obayangban stressed that sustainable economic development could not take place in an atmosphere of insecurity, describing the planned operation as the first phase of a broader strategy to revitalise Ondo State’s forestry sector.

He said the government remained committed to securing the forests and protecting legitimate users as part of its broader economic development programme.