Leave our forests and stop grazing at night, Governor Akeredolu tells herders

Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has given a 7-day ultimatum to herders to vacate the forests in the state, and stop herding their cattle at night.

The movement of cattle within cities and highways and and use of under-aged herders for grazing cattle has also been banned.

The measures, he said, are to put a freeze on increasing kidnap-for-ransom and armed banditry in the state.

At a meeting with Hausa/Fulani herders and the Ebira community in Ondo on Monday, Akeredolo said: “As the chief law and security officer of the state, it is my constitutional obligation to do everything lawful to protect the lives and property of all residents of the state.

“This meeting, therefore, is convened to address the issues of insecurity with the ultimate aim of attaining the goal of a safe environment.

“Recent security trends attest that these times require all hands to be on the deck as the difficulties we face are dire. The challenges are quite enormous but we are determined to confront them head-on.

“We decided that all the criminal elements who hide under various guises to aid the destruction of farmlands as well as perpetrate other violent crimes such as kidnapping, drug peddling and other nefarious activities, must be stamped out of our dear state.

“I wish to reassure the residents that the State Security Council, under my leadership, shall not relent in tackling these challenges as pragmatically possible. We shall remove all threats in no distant future.”

Other measures the state governor announced include the compulsory registration of herders in cattle-rearing business. The registration must be within seven days.

He disclosed that security reports and briefings by victims of kidnapping fingered elements pretending to be herdsmen.

In response, the leaders of cattle-breeders from different parts of the state asked for a special security outfit to watch over the forests, while promising to convey the Governor’s directives to their people.