Indiscriminate felling of trees will now attract five years in prison or N500,000 fine as an existing law stipulates in Niger State.
Governor Abubakar Sani Bello, who said the legislation remained in force, warned that the full wrath of the law would be brought to bear on any erring member of the public.
He spoke at Mashegu local government area during a midterm inspection tour of the 25 councils of the state over the weekend.
Bello said the many lives lost and properties destroyed every year across flood-prone areas as well as threat of global warming necessitated stringent measures against deforestation.
He promised to assist enforcement agencies with necessary logistics to enable them tackle the menace, while also liaising with the federal government to make the forest reserve safer.
The governor promised to establish a General Hospital in Mashegu to address the health challenges of the people. In Mokwa, Bello promised additional transformers to boost power supply.
