Hundreds of farmers, forest guards and members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Ondo State on Thursday staged a protest in Akure, against the incessant abduction of their members, allegedly by gunmen suspected to be herdsmen.

The protesters also said they were in support of the order of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu to eject herdsmen from all the forest reserves in the state.

They said they backed Akeredolu’s order as it was made to secure the lives and property of the people of the state.

The protesters, who carried placards with various inscriptions, said if the current state of insecurity was not quickly checked, it might lead to chaos and famine in the state.

Akeredolu gave the order on Monday, as part of major steps at addressing the root cause of kidnapping and other nefarious activities in the state.

The governor said the forests have been turned into a place for felons to carry out their criminal activities, adding:“All Forest Reserves in the state are to be vacated by herdsmen within the next 7 days with effect from today, Monday 18th January 2021.”