The Chairman of Cross River State Forestry Commission, George Oben-Etche, has raised the alarm that armed gangs are after his life for opposing illegal wood logging in the state.
Oben-Etche spoke during a workshop organised by Nigerian Conservation Foundation, NCF, with the theme, ‘The Crisis of Forest Loss And Threats To Rural Economy in Cross River State’, in Calabar.
He alleged that the unnamed persons have sent him several threat messages, and have also reported him to the state governor, Senator Bassey Otu, demanding his sack.
According to him, several armed gangs have influential persons backing them to cut down trees and deplete the forests, not minding the grave consequences to nature and man.
“My life is in danger. I need your prayers. But I know that since my intentions for the forests are genuine, my hands are clean.
“I don’t join them to devastate the forests, they will never succeed to eliminate me.
“They claimed that I am blocking them from achieving their nefarious aims.
“They have reported me to the governor several times but thank God that the governor is behind me, demanding that I restore the state of the forest as it used to be,” he said.
He alleged that as many as 30 truckloads of timber leave the state almost daily.
According to him, since he came in as Chairman of the Forestry Commission, many arrests have been carried out, while 15 persons are being prosecuted.
But he noted that some traditional rulers and prominent persons are busy appealing for out of court settlement.
He vowed that he will continue with the prosecutions, stressing that the perpetrators will be jailed to serve as deterrent to others, as far as there is political will from the state government.
