Ishaku warns against unauthorised campaign on deforestation

Taraba State Government has warned groups that derive pleasure in sensitising the public on deforestation without seeking clearance from the relevant authorities to stop.

The warning was necessitated by recent attack on members of the Kurmi Movement for Sensitisation and Environmental Protection (KMSEP) by hoodlums. Hinging the warning on the state’s security situation, the Governor, Darius Ishaku, urged groups intending to embark on such venture to get permission from the Ministry of Environment.

The Commissioner for Environment, Alhaji Lawal Ibrahim, said the group in question “did not intimate the ministry of its plans to go to Kurmi Local Council to sensitise the people on deforestation,” hence the ministry was not aware of their mission to that locality.

Speaking on behalf of the governor, he described the mission as illegal. He said: “Any group or organisation that desires to tread same paths without seeking approval from the state government will be doing that at their own peril.”

The group had earlier accused the council chairman, John Amamzalla, of masterminding the attack that led to bodily harm on its members. But the chairman denied knowledge of the attack.

“I never sent anybody to attack anyone. I was shocked seeing people calling my name as the brain behind the attack. This is a lie from the pit of hell, from people who do not mean good for my leadership,” he said.