BY: NEWS EDITOR, MAY 17, 2025/ 12:58PM

Borno State Government has banned the unlawful cutting down of trees, with Governor Babagana Umara Zulum signing an executive order to prohibit the indiscriminate felling of trees.

In a statement issued on Saturday by the governor's spokesman, Mal. Dauda Iliya, anyone caught unlawfully cutting down trees will face a fine of N250,000 or imprisonment for up to three years for a first offense.

For subsequent offenses, the penalty will be imprisonment for up to five years, a fine of N500,000, or both.

According to the governor, 'Pursuant to the powers vested in me by Section 14 (2) and Section 20 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), the Felling of Tree Law, Cap 53, Laws of Borno State, 1994, and all other powers enabling me in that behalf, I, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, CON, mni, FNSE, the Executive Governor of Borno State, do hereby declare the felling of trees as prohibited forthwith.'

In the statement, the governor emphasized the need to safeguard the ecosystem and protect future generations, citing the alarming levels of environmental abuse as the reason for the executive order.

He also directed the Borno State Police Command and relevant agencies to enforce the order and ensure full compliance.

In addition to the tree-felling ban, the governor also signed an executive order declaring the first Saturday of every month as Sanitation Day, mandating a monthly statewide sanitation exercise aimed at enhancing public health and reducing the spread of diseases.

'I, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, do hereby declare the first Saturday of every month as Sanitation Day, forthwith,' he said.

He noted that those found violating the sanitation order will face punishment, including imprisonment for up to two years and a fine of N100,000 for first-time offenders. Subsequent offenders will be liable to imprisonment for up to five years.

The governor announced plans to sign another executive order stipulating strict penalties for violations of existing laws on scrap metal scavenging and trading.