Following the statement of the Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, that Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State should exercise caution over the order that herdsmen should vacate Ondo forests with seven days, the state government on Wednesday lashed out on the presidential spokesperson.
While emphasizing that Shehu was speaking for himself and not the president, the state Commissioner for Information, Donald Ojogo, said that Shehu’s defence of criminal elements under the guise of herdsmen was suspicious.
Ojogo, who maintained that Shehu’s stance was most unacceptable, said it goes a long way to show that Miyetti Allah could not have done better.
Governor Akeredolu had on Monday ordered that herdsmen within the forest reserves of the state should vacate the forests within seven days following incessant cases of kidnappings and banditry in most pasts of the state.
“I’m even almost persuaded to believe that Garba Shehu issued the statement. And if he indeed authored the statement, it is highly despicable. It means that there are certain officials in the Presidency who are creating problems for the President.
“For emphasis, people must differentiate between natural forests and Forest Reserves. What the Ondo State Government has done is to ensure proper regulation of those who are in the reserves and have provided habitation for criminals.”
