Aare-ona-kakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams, has supported the quit notice given to illegal residents of Ondo State forest reserves.
According to him, Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu is right, under the constitution, to order the quit notice as the state’s chief security officer.
Akeredolu had on Monday, given a seven-day ultimatum to herders to vacate the forests following growing insecurity allegedly perpetrated by the pastoralists.
The Presidency however maintained that asking the herders to vacate the reserved forests could set off a chain of events which the constitution anticipated and tried to guard against.
But Adams, in a statement by his media aide, Kehinde Aderemi, said the presidency failed to address the security situation across the country.
The statement reads: “Garba Shehu/Presidency apparently doesn’t know the meaning of reserved forests.
It’s not accessible except to authorised personnel/loggers. Apart from the place being a place for valued cash trees, it’s also meant as a haven of safety for protected animals.
“Herdsmen living in the forest are not only unauthorised, they would likely fell trees to make fire, and also kill animals for food.
“A reserved forest is not a place of residence for anyone, not even Ondo indigenes or farmers. It is most unfortunate that such a statement is coming directly from the presidency, which, according to the constitution, has the prerogative to protect the lives and property of citizens. But it is a pity the presidency now looks for ways to foil the good plans and intentions of the state to rid bad elements masquerading as herders and pastoralists.
“I am from Akoko North West in Ondo State; all our reserved forests have been taken over by these illegal residents. So the governor’s decision is in the right direction and in the state’s interest.
“I call on all Yoruba sons and daughters to support governors in the Southwest in their fight against insurgency across the region.” he said
