The Ogun State Government has directed 17 communities in Ijebu-East/North Local Government Area to evacuate the elephant conservation area within the Omo Forest Reserve.
The government has labeled the communities as ‘illegal farmers and timber contractors’ and mandated them to leave the designated area by January 15, 2024.
The directive was issued by the Commissioner for Forestry, Taiwo Oludotun, during a meeting with farmers, village heads, and timber contractors at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
In a statement released by the Press Officer of the Ministry of Forestry, Luke Adebesin, on Wednesday, Oludotun accused the 17 communities of encroaching on the buffer zones of the forest reserve.
According to the commissioner, “The 17 communities are: Eseke, Tamitami, Bridge, Korede, Fatai, Sojukorodo, Etemi- Gerade, Onigburugburu, Erifun, Aba Alhaja, Erimogan, Ologunna, Ori Apata, Imaba, Apora, Fatai 2 and Yomi Iga.”
Oludotun emphasized that the cultivation of cocoa seedlings within the state’s forest reserves was prohibited, cautioning that any cocoa seedlings discovered within the forest after the specified exit date would face appropriate sanctions.
“The state Ministry of Forestry will not fold its arm and allow illegalities to continue within its forest reserves, any timber contractor found to be involved in cocoa plantation within the reserves, the government property hammer of such contractor will be withdrawn,” he said.
In his statement, the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Timothy Olatunji, urged timber contractors to collaborate with the ministry to eliminate ‘unethical activities within the forest reserves.’ Additionally, representatives of timber contractors, Kunle Kalejaye and Alhaja Ranti Bambi, were reported to express disappointment over the defiance of government directives by some wrongdoers. They pledged to support the Ministry’s initiatives in combating these illicit activities.