On Wednesday, an environmental expert, Salamatu Ekpo, called on the federal government to implement sanctions against forest crimes and illegalities as part of measures to preserve the environment.

Ms Ekpo, a lecturer at the Department of Environmental Management, Nasarawa State University, made the call in an interview.

She said there were already established forest programmes and policies backed by regulations, but implementation was the problem in the country.

The African Journal of Criminology and Justice Studies stated that the problems facing the rich forest belts in Nigeria had become intense.

It said the unemployment dilemma was ravaging most youths in several urban and rural settlements and the wide-ranging negative impacts on environmental crime in South-West Nigeria.

The journal further said it was discovered that a syndicate often capitalised on the country’s prevailing unemployment surge.

It said the syndicate lured young and unemployed people into criminal survival strategies and environmental crime of illegal logging of precious woods like iroko, mahogany and obeche.

Ms Ekpo said the forest was one of the natural resources that served the Nigerians; hence, it should be well protected.

“For us, the forest is one of the natural resources that serve the Nigerian community through the provision of food, clothing, medicine, charcoal and firewood. These provisions have made many depend on and exploit the forest with negative impact,” Ms Ekpo said.

According to her, the government needs to identify what drives the exploitation of the forest and find alternatives to those drivers so that it will reduce dependence on the forest.

“There should be sustainable utilisation in green affordable alternatives to avoid forest crimes,” she said.

She, however, called on the government to ensure the forest was well protected and to create other income sources for Nigerians to avoid crimes against nature. 

(NAN)