Omole : Terrorism, banditry, kidnapping threaten forestry practice 

A professor of Forest Engineering and Chairman, Governing Council, Ladoke Akintola University (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Ayodeji Omole, on Thursday, lamented that forestry practice in Nigeria in the recent times has become endangered due largely to widespread incidences of attacks, killings, raping and kidnapping for ransom by armed men, who are allegedly foreigners, and their local collaborators who have taken over many of the forest estates in the country.

Omole who raised the alarm while delivering the 561st Inaugural Lecture of the University of Ibadan entitled, ‘Working in the shadows of death’, stated that the “challenge of insecurity in our forest estates is perhaps the only problem that has hitherto defied all strategic solutions in Nigeria.”

He noted that the Nigerian forests can simply be described as one of the most threatened in Africa because of high population growth rate, forest conversion to subsistence and industrial agriculture, illegal logging and unsafe environment.

 According to him, “Unfortunately, it is pathetic that the military formations seem helpless in effectively tackling and eradicating this particular monstrous challenge. The monopoly of violence is no longer an exclusive right of the military but by the non-state actors. These security breaches are too numerous to mention. The media is daily awash with the news of attacks of bandits in Nigeria. The most perplexing aspect of these security challenges is that bandits, unknown gun-men or insurgents are majorly occupying many of our national forests, in all parts of Nigeria from Sambisa forests in Borno State, to many forests in the southern-western parts of Nigeria: Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo State, in particular, while Lagos and Ogun States are not immune. Forests in the south east and south-south are not by any means equally exempted from the activities of these criminals.

“This development is a major challenge to forestry in Nigeria. Since 2013, when the Boko Haram insurgents found a safe haven in the Sambisa Forest, from where they launch their attacks on the Nigerian State, neither Nigeria nor the forest have known any peace. Unfortunately, the situation has grown from bad to worse and has continue to escalate. Forest establishment is therefore directly affected or impeded as a result of the risk associated with planning and carrying out any planting operations in the forest areas.”

“In some cases, farmers have lost their lives to the sporadic shootings of insurgents, bandits or unknown-gun-men in many parts of Nigeria; on their farms, highways and villages. This kind of situation has made practice of forestry a serious challenge in Nigeria, even though most of the attacks are in the northern parts, the ripple effects are felt all over the country. There is no doubt that all this would affect the economic growth, foreign exchange earnings and stability of the country.”

Omole maintained that special fund allocation for forestry is crucial for several reasons, as it directly supports the conservation and sustainable management of forests, which are vital for environmental, economic, and social well-being, stating that allocating special funds specifically to forestry can help combat illegal logging, land encroachment and other activities that lead to deforestation.

The forest expert then advised the University of Ibadan to ensure the removal and correcting of tree defects through pruning, cabling and bracing to reduce the risk posed to public safety by trees, adding that there is also the need for the University to develop policies that will minimize the disturbance of municipal trees, promote a tree friendly attitude in relation to development and expansion.