By Ayo Kehinde
It was a visibly angry Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu Ondo State, that on Monday issued a seven-day ultimatum to herdsmen to vacate forest reserves in the state.
He said the order was part of major steps taken by the state to address the root cause of kidnapping and other nefarious activities in the state.
He expressed his anger in a statement issued on his official Twitter handle on Monday. Before his re-election in the governorship poll held in the state on October 10, 2020, Governor Akeredolu’s convoy was attacked by gunmen suspected to be kidnappers he referred to in his statement
He said, “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.
“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.”
He 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.
According to the Governor, “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.”
