Commercial drivers, under the aegis of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), members of the Nigeria Forest Services, also called Forest Guards, farmers and traders on Thursday held a solidarity rally in Akure, the Ondo State capital, on Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu’s quit notice to herdsmen in the state’s forest reserves.
The governor had banned night grazing and outlawed underage herders as part of his administration’s effort to stop kidnapping in the state.
The farmers said the quit order to criminal herdsmen had given them hope of good harvest in the coming years.
Spokesman for the farmers, Gbenga Obaweya, called for relevant laws to back up the order.
He said the social and economic impact of activities of herdsmen could lead to severe famine, if not checked.
Another farmer, Raphael Eyimiton, alleged that some herdsmen set his farm ablaze after stealing his yams.
Chairman of the state’s NUTRW chapter, Jacob Adejo, said commercial drivers were no longer safe in the state.
Adejo said his members needed protection as herders had been attacking and abducting them.
Some forest guards said they donated money to secure the release of their members who the herdsmen abducted.
Andy Adejube, who works in the Forestry Department of the Ministry of Agriculture, said the rules on forest regulations could henceforth be enforced.
“We are to ensure nobody enters the forest without permission. Many people have entered without permission. There are rules and those rules must be followed.
“They (herdsmen) always drive us out. We will always welcome any proactive action that will make our highways safe.
“Our forest reserves, which are supposed to be our ecological bases, are no more safe. We raised money to rescue our workers. We support the governor and we are happy. The governor must not relent. Forestry must not be allowed to die.”
The House of Assembly has also declared the ultimatum to herdsmen as a good intention to secure the lives and property of the residents.
It hailed Akeredolu for issuing the quit order and condemned a statement credited to presidential spokesperson Shehu Garba.
A statement yesterday by the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Youth and Sports Development, Akogun Olugbenga Omole, said incessant cases of kidnapping and other criminal activities were traceable to herders in the state’s forest reserves which had led to loss of lives.
Omole urged registered herders to go about their legitimate duties without fear, adding that the lawmakers might cut short their recess to address the issue.
But the state’s traditional rulers have said the herdsmen were free to live and conduct their legitimate businesses anywhere in the country, including any part of the state.
The monarchs, who backed Akeredolu’s directive to criminal herdsmen to vacate government’s forest reserves within seven days, said the herdsmen should respect the private property rights of Ondo residents.
In a communiqué issued after their emergency meeting, Oba Kadiri Momoh, the Olukare of Ikare, urged President Mohammadu Buhari to show that he is a father of all Nigerians, irrespective of ethnic affiliation, as well as caution his aides to exercise restraints on issues that border on security.
“It is to be noted that even the indigenes of Ondo State do not have a right to use the forest reserves without due authorization,” the communiqué said.
Also, Chairman of the Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG), Olawale Oshun, has expressed support for the quit order Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu issues against illegal occupation of the state’s forest reserves by herdsmen.
They faulted presidential spokesman Garuba Shehu who contended that the governor contravened the 1999 Constitution with his quit order to illegal occupation of the forests.
Oshun, who was Chief Whip during the aborted Third Republic, said the Yoruba have always lived together in peace and harmony with other ethnic groups in the country.
He said: “The spokesman of the Presidency and the Federal Government are quite aware of the pain of the people of Ondo State. The pain the governor himself must have been subjected to because of the various kidnappings and various murders in his territory.
“So, if you have herdsmen living in the bush, they must be identified; only animals live in the bush. By the time you have people slaughtered in the forest, you will know they do not mean well. So, the governor is right to ask them to leave.”
The Nation