No fewer than 37 herdsmen alongside their 5,000 herds of cattle were on Thursday ejected from forest reserves across Ondo State.
The herders who were ejected by operatives of Amotekun Corps were accused of flouting the earlier order of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu that herdermen grazing in the forest reserves should either register with the appropriate agencies or vacate the reserve.
WITHIN NIGERIA recalls that about two weeks ago, Akeredolu had ordered that they should register with the appropriate agencies or vacate the reserve as part of measures to curb the prevailing security situation in the state.
Meanwhile, despite the order, some of the herders refused to vacate the forest reserves and hence led to their eviction from the forest reserves by the Amotekun corps.
Following their eviction, the herds and their cows were monitored out of the state.
Confirming the operation, the State Commander of Amotekun, Adetunji Adeleye, said the eviction will be total as most of the herders had vowed not to comply with the registration order of the state government.
He disclosed that the herders were flushed out of the Ala, Oda and Ofosu Forests Reserves of the state to neighbouring states.
“Some of them have opted to leave the state because they couldn’t meet with our terms and conditions.
“They came through, the Chairman of Miyatti Allah in the state. Some opted to go to Osun, Edo and Kogi States. So our men escorted the, to the boundaries of those states. We have to monitor their movements out of the state so that they would not destroy farms on their way out.
“About 37 herders with about 5,000 cows ejected.”
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