No herders will graze in forest reserves without permission – Akeredolu – Newstrends
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No herders will graze in forest reserves without permission – Akeredolu

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  • Afenifere, ACF, PANDEF, NEF disagree over governor’s ultimatum

The Ondo State Government has insisted that herdsmen will not be allowed to operate in Ondo State’s forest reserves without permission.

This is a reaction to the caution by presidency on Tuesday against the seven-day ultimatum the state Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), gave the herders to quit the forest reserves.

Also, a pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere and the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), which supported the governor, clashed with the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) that opposed the decision.

Some senior lawyers have also endorsed Akeredolu’s decision, which they affirmed as constitutional.

In a statement in Akure on Wednesday, the state government said no herdsman would graze on the forest reserves in the state without permission.

The state Commissioner for Agricultural and Rural Development, Adegboyega Adefarati, said in the statement that over 50,000 farmers had been registered to engage in various agricultural activities in the state’s forest reserves.

He insisted that no herder would be permitted to graze without going through the same process.

It said, “We have registered over fifty (50,000) thousands of farmers who engage in different forms of agricultural activities in Ondo State Government Forest Reserves. With this, we regulate their activities and reduce criminality as we interface daily with farmers.

“Love it or leave it, farming is farming, be it crop production or animal husbandry. If any Nigerian irrespective of his/her state of origin desires land for farming in Government Forest Reserves, he/she must apply to Ondo State Ministry of Agriculture and pay the normal fee for the required hectares of land.

“It is illegal for herdsmen to encroach on the Ondo State Government Forest Reserves without permission and graze on the farms, many of which will be destroyed.”

While NEF and ACF called on Akeredolu to rescind the seven-day ultimatum to herdsmen to vacate the forest, PANDEF and Afenifere condemned the reaction of the presidency on the issue.

The ACF and NEF asked the governor to follow the provisions of the constitution in handling the issue, adding that the constitution guarantees freedom of movement of all Nigerians.

NEF, in its statement, described the governor’s action as provocative and unhelpful in the quest to address the security challenges.

A statement signed by NEF’s Director, Publicity and Advocacy, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, said if there were criminal elements among the Fulani in Ondo State, appropriate steps should be taken to identify them and deal with them.

NEF stated that the Fulani are not above the laws and must obey all laws and regulations as well as respect the communities in which they live.

It stated, “We call on Governor Akeredolu to rescind his order on the Fulani or clarify his position in the event that he is misunderstood.

“He has a responsibility to protect the rights of all people in Ondo State, including the Fulani, and he will be well advised to engage them towards improving security in the state instead of treating all of them as criminals without rights or protection under the constitution.”

In its reaction, spokesman of the ACF, Emmanuel Yawe, urged the governor to follow the provision of the constitution in addressing the issue.

The ACF said every offence has its own punishment “and our forum has not seen a law, which says a Nigerian should be denied the freedom to settle anywhere and pursue legitimate business according to the law.”

But PANDEF called on President Muhammadu Buhari to call his media aide, Malam Garba Shehu, to order over his comments on the one-week ultimatum given to herdsmen.

PANDEF spokesman, Ken Robinson, in a statement, also asked other governors, especially in the South-west to speak out on the matter.

“The callous and barbaric deeds being perpetrated by supposed herdsmen, should not be allowed to continue, anywhere in Nigeria,” it said.

Also reacting, Afenifere advised the five other governors in the South-West to emulate Akeredolu and flush out herdsmen from their respective states.

National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin, in a statement, stressed the need for all Yoruba to stand by Akeredolu and other South-west governors in their bid to rid the zone of the excesses of the herdsmen.

“All true-born Yoruba should stand behind Governor Akeredolu in these trying times. He must do all within the law to flush Ondo forests of all criminals. Other governors should emulate their chair and free our land from the Fulani who have surrounded us with the shield of the federal government,” he stated.

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Hoodlums beat police officer to death in Adamawa

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Adamawa State Police Public Relations Officer, Suleiman Yahaya Nguroje

Hoodlums beat police officer to death in Adamawa

In Adamawa State, a policeman, Ibrahim Maizabuwa, has lost his life after he was beaten to death.

Two persons Ezekiel Kefas, and Stephen Zabadi from Wamsa Suwa Ward in Lamurde LGA of the state have been arrested in connection with the murder of a policeman.

The Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Suleiman Yahaya Nguroje, confirmed the incident in a statement on Wednesday.

He stated that the suspects were arrested on November 19, 2024 after the deceased officer’s son, Danlami Ibrahim Maizabuwa, reported the incident to the Police.

According to him, investigations revealed that the officer was killed and buried in the community after visiting his friend, Ezekiel Kefas.

The Police image maker said during interrogation, Kefas claimed that the officer was killed by a group of thugs after he allegedly destroyed property and assaulted people in his (Kefas’) house.

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“My friend came and started destroying property including a pot of soup and water in my house and assaulting people as a result of which women and children raised alarm which attracted thugs who beat him up to death.

“Those who killed him include Yakubu, Suleiman and Kilyobas. They beat him up with sticks to death.

“Yesterday, we went to the houses of those who killed him, but we didn’t meet any of them,” Ezekiel was quoted as saying.

The State Police Commissioner, Morris Dankombo, has ordered a discreet investigation into the incident and prosecution of the suspects

 

Hoodlums beat police officer to death in Adamawa

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Court remands Yahaya Bello, two others in EFCC custody till Dec 10

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Yahaya Bello

Court remands Yahaya Bello, two others in EFCC custody till Dec 10

Former Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, will remain in custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) until December 10 this year, an Abuja High Court has ruled.

Justice Maryann Anenih ordered on Wednesday that he should remain with the anti-graft agency till December 10, when the court would rule on his application for bail.

Also remanded in custody are Bello’s two co-defendants, Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu.

The defendants had pleaded not guilty to a 16-count charge the EFCC preferred against them.

EFCC had specifically urged the court to deny the former governor bail.

The agency, through its team of lawyers led by Mr. Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, told the court that Bello, who is the 1st defendant in the matter, repeatedly refused to make himself available for trial.

It told the court that several efforts to secure his presence before the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, where he is facing another charge, proved abortive.

Consequently, the commission opposed a bail application that Bello filed through his legal team that was led by a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Mr. Joseph Daudu, SAN.

Daudu, SAN, had after the former governor and his two co-defendants—Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu—pleaded not guilty to the charge, called the attention of the court to a bail application his client filed on November 22.

In the application he predicated on six grounds, the former governor argued that he enjoys the presumption of innocence under the law.

Insisting that he ought to be seen to be innocent of all the allegations the EFCC levelled against him until his guilt is established, Bello contended that granting him bail would enable him to effectively prepare his defence to the charge.

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His lawyer told the court that his client was only served with a copy of the charge against him around 11 p.m. on Tuesday, November 26.

He said the former governor’s presence in court was in obedience to the summons that was issued to him.

More so, Bello’s lawyer urged the court not to be swayed by EFCC’s claims with regards to a matter not related to the instant charge before it.

The prosecution counsel had informed the court that some of the witnesses billed to testify in the matter were available.

He, therefore, prayed the court to allow the EFCC to open its case immediately, an application that was opposed by the defence counsel.

Besides, EFCC argued that Bello’s bail application was incompetent since it was filed before the defendants were arraigned before the court.

“This court only assumed jurisdiction upon the arraignment of the defendants.

“It is only after arraignment that the bail application can arise and be heard.

“The application is premature, hasty, and contradicts the meaning of bail,” EFCC’s counsel, Pinheiro, SAN, submitted.

Ex-governor Bello and his co-defendants are facing trial over their alleged complicity in a N110 billion fraud.

The charge against the defendants, marked CR/7781, borders on conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, and possession of unlawfully obtained property.

Specifically, the EFCC alleged that the former governor misused state funds to acquire properties, including No. 35 Danube Street, Maitama District, Abuja (N950 million), No. 1160 Cadastral Zone C03, Gwarimpa II District, Abuja (N100 million), and No. 2 Justice Chukwudifu Oputa Street, Asokoro, Abuja (N920 million).

Other properties the defendants allegedly acquired with funds stolen from the Kogi state treasury included Block D Manzini Street, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja (N170 million), Hotel Apartment Community: Burj Khalifa, Dubai (Five Million, Six Hundred and Ninety-Eight Thousand, Eight Hundred and Eighty-Eight Dirhams), Block 18, Gwelo Street, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja (N60 million), and No. 9 Benghazi Street, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja (N310.4 million).

The defendants were also accused of transferring $570,330 and $556,265 to TD Bank, USA, and possessing unlawfully obtained property, including N677.8 million from Bespoque Business Solution Limited.

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Police rearrest popular singer, Speed Darlington

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Speed Darlington

Police rearrest popular singer, Speed Darlington

Police rearrest popular singer, Speed Darlington

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