Rotimi Akeredolu, Governor of Ondo State, on Monday ordered herdsmen to vacate the forest reserves in the state. within seven days.
The order comes as part of actions to stem the tide of kidnapping, of which Ondo is fast becoming the epicenter in the southwest.
“Today we have taken major steps at addressing the root cause of kidnapping, in particular, and other nefarious activities detailed and documented in security reports, the press, and debriefings from victims of kidnap cases in Ondo State,” Akeredolu said on his verified Twitter handle, @RotimiAkeredolu.
The governor lamented that the forest reserves had been turned by the felons to commit their criminal activities.
“These unfortunate incidents are traceable to the activities of some bad elements masquerading as herdsmen. These felons have turned our forest reserves into hideouts for keeping victims of kidnapping, negotiating for ransom and carrying out other criminal activities.”
Facts emerging from recent kidnap cases have shown that the kidnappers operate in the forests, with a well-coordinated network of criminals who acquired expert knowledge of the forests.
“The kidnappers in Ondo State have grown wings. They know the terrains more than the indigenes. The way they operated inside the bush, it was as if they were brought up in that domain,” Mr Gbenga Ibikunle, who was kidnapped along with his wife in the state recently, told a newspaper.
“Even the kinds of guns they carried were intimidating. Where we were kept was not a camp. It was just under a big tree. About 15 metres away from that point, we could hear farmers on their farms. We could hear them clearly,” Ibikunle said.
He and his wife were only released after paying a ransom of N2 million. While in the kidnappers’ den, they met a man who was also kidnapped, and whose family members had already given N5 million to the abductors, but they were asking for more N5 million, or they would kill the man.
Akeredolu said that as the Chief Law and Security Officer of the state, it is his constitutional obligation to do everything lawful to protect the lives and property of all residents of the state.
He further declared that: “All Forest Reserves in the state are to be vacated by herdsmen within the next 7 days with effect from today, Monday 18th January 2021.
“Night-grazing is banned with immediate effect because most farm destruction takes place at night.
“Movement of cattle within cities and highways is prohibited.
“Under-aged grazing of cattle is outlawed.
“Our resolution to guarantee the safety of lives and property within the state shall remain utmost as security agencies have been directed to enforce the ban.
“In its usual magnanimity, our administration will give a grace period of seven days for those who wish to carry on with their cattle-rearing business to register with appropriate authorities.”
