Ondo community accuses police of shielding illegal loggers
By Boye Oyeyemi
Residents of Isua in Akoko South-East Local Government Area of Ondo State have raised the alarm over the widespread destruction of their farmlands by illegal loggers.
Through a Save Our Soul statement signed by Ajoke Alecs and Akiniyi Adeyemi, leaders of the Association of Isua Advisory Council condemned the heavy loss of ancestral lands and economic trees to bulldozers.
Furthermore, the community emphasized that these unchecked environmental abuses directly violate existing forestry and environmental protection regulations across the state.
As a direct result of this encroachment, local farmers find themselves completely deprived of the agricultural lands that sustain their daily livelihoods and economic survival.
Compounding their frustration, community members accused the Isua Divisional Police Officer of taking sides with the perpetrators and dismissing their formal complaints as a minor civil dispute.
However, the council firmly countered that illegal logging, criminal trespass, and wilful destruction of property represent clear criminal acts requiring urgent police intervention.
To avert potential violence and total ecological disaster, the association appealed directly to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to deploy a specialized task force from the Ministry of Environment.
Meanwhile, they urged the Ondo State commissioner of police to thoroughly investigate the local DPO’s conduct and bring all culpable parties to justice under the law.
