Ijebu-East/North residents from 17 communities who are considered “illegal farmers and timber contractors” by the Ogun State Government have recently been ordered to vacate the elephant conservation area in the Omo Forest Reserve.
The State Commissioner for Forestry, Taiwo Oludotun, issued this order through a press release on Wednesday during a meeting with farmers, village heads and timber contractors at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
According to the statement, the commissioner said, “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.”
It was illegal, he elaborated, that cocoa seedlings be planted within the state’s forest reserves.
“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found to be involved in cocoa plantation within the reserves, the government property hammer of such contractor will be withdrawn,” he submitted.