By Headlinenews.news Investigations Desk
Imobi, Ogun State — October 2025
The once-sacred Oluweri River Grove in Imobi, Ogun State, revered for centuries as the dwelling of the river goddess Oluweri, now lies stripped and silent.
Over 30 ancient trees — iroko, mahogany, cedar, silk-cotton and afara — have been illegally felled by a criminal syndicate allegedly led by one Demorin, destroying livelihoods, water sources and a pillar of Yoruba spirituality.
This report exposes the crime, the complicity, and the urgent need for federal intervention, enforcement.
“They are cutting the roots of our identity.”
The sacred calm of Malara village has been replaced by the relentless shriek of chainsaws.
Locals say Demorin and his associates have occupied the area for months, sawing the century-old trees into planks for sale.
Evidence — videos, photos and eyewitness accounts — has reached the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), NESREA, and the Ogun State Ministry of Forestry, yet no arrests have been made.
“People came from Lagos for healing water,” says Mr Kukoyi, a herbalist & Nurse.
“Now the grove is blocked, the trees gone, and we can’t reach the stream. Those trees were medicine — bark for fever, leaves for wounds. The government must save Malara.”
The massive trunks now block walkways and farms, cutting access to drinking water and palm-kernel processing areas.
An elderly woman swore publicly that “those who destroy the land our fathers preserved will know no peace.”
Heritage and Faith Violated
The Oluweri Grove once offered clean water, cool shade, and herbs that sustained generations.
Now it stands ravaged — a spiritual and ecological disaster.
The Yoruba goddess Oluweri, tied to Olokun and Osun, symbolizes purity and renewal. Her anger, villagers fear, is visible in the parched riverbed.
“Since I revived the ancient deity,” said the Regent in waiting of Malara (South), “our people have prospered. Now the goddess is angry — her water no longer flows. This is greed, not development.”
The Regent in waiting, whose ancestors founded Malara, has petitioned the IGP and AIG to restore law enforcement presence, the perpetrators of the crime have been living in her father’s house illegally:
“We’ll provide land for a police station. The nearest post is 30 minutes away in Ogbere. A station in Malara will stop these crimes.”
Leadership Reacts
The Baale of Malara confirmed his intent to intervene:
“I have spoken with the Princess. Together we’ll appeal to the Elders to halt the felling and restore peace. The Abore — our priest — is furious. The grove must be cleansed and the goddess appeased.”
The Abore warned that desecration invites misfortune. The last time Demorin destroyed a shrine, he suffered a near-fatal car accident soon after — a caution locals haven’t forgotten.
Demorin also signed an undertaking with the Area Command Ogbere to be of good conduct, permit freedom of worship and not desecrate any shrine or threaten people’s lives again which he has now breached.
Cultural Harmony, Spiritual Loss
Malara has long embodied religious coexistence.
Muslims, Christians and traditional worshippers celebrate festivals together.
“That tolerance is our strength,” the Regent in waiting, told Headlinenews.news.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo recently declared his respect for Ifa and Yoruba traditional institutions, while Prof Wole Soyinka reminds Nigerians that indigenous spirituality “carries moral wisdom that predates imported faiths.”
For Malara, losing the grove is losing the symbol of that harmony.
The Law: What Has Been Broken
Under Nigerian law, the destruction of Malara’s grove breaches several statutes:
NESREA Act (2007) — prohibits activities harming wetlands, rivers, or forests without authorisation.
National Environmental (Wetlands, River Banks and Lake Shores) Regulations (2009) — forbids tree-felling within 50 metres of any watercourse.
Ogun State Forestry Law (2006, amended 2017) — makes unlicensed felling of protected species a crime, punishable by fines or imprisonment.
Criminal Code s.451 — classifies willful environmental destruction as a felony (up to 7 years in prison).
By cutting over 40 protected trees, Demorin’s group has committed multiple federal and state offences.
Agencies That Must Act
NESREA — confiscate the timber and prosecute.
Ogun Forestry Department — enforce licensing laws and sanction complicit officials.
Federal Ministry of Environment — coordinate restoration under the Climate Change Act (2021).
Nigeria Police Force — deploy investigators and secure the grove.
Ogun State Attorney-General — initiate criminal proceedings without delay.
Global Parallels and Lessons
According to UN Environment Programme (UNEP), illegal logging is worth US $30–100 billion yearly, threatening “sustainable development, livelihoods, and the rule of law.”
Former UNEP chief Achim Steiner warned:
“These crimes rob nations of a sustainable future when unlawful activities are more profitable than lawful ones.
International benchmarks:
United States (Lacey Act): Felony charges, prison, and asset seizure.
United Kingdom (Timber Regulations): Unlimited fines.
Brazil: Federal raids, heavy penalties, and confiscations.
If other nations punish forest crime severely, Nigeria must not remain silent while its sacred groves fall.
Environmental Toll
Nigeria has lost 1.44 million hectares of tree cover since 2001 — a 14 % decline (Global Forest Watch).
The FAO calls forests “the natural infrastructure of every nation,” essential for clean water and soil fertility.
The IPCC 2023 Report warns:
“Delayed protection measures increase risks for ecosystems and human health.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres describes deforestation as “a brutal attack on biodiversity and our own survival.”
In Malara, that attack has a human face — thirst, heat, and hunger.
A Blueprint for Action
1. Immediate joint operation — NESREA + Ogun Forestry to halt all felling.
2. Seizure of logs and arrest of perpetrators.
3. Independent inquiry into alleged bribery of Elders.
4. Reforestation programme using indigenous species (iroko, cedar, mahogany).
5. Cultural-heritage designation for the grove via the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, modeled on the UNESCO Osun-Osogbo Grove.
6. Permanent police station in Malara — already pledged by the Regent.
Oluweri Grove Under Siege by Illegal Loggers
Imobi, Ogun State — October 2025.
Over 40 heritage trees have been illegally felled around the sacred Oluweri River Grove in Malara, Ogun State — desecrating a centuries-old shrine and destroying the community’s only water source. Locals accuse a certain Demorin, previously linked to shrine desecration, of masterminding the sale of the trees and desecrating the Oluweri Grove which has large impressive mature trees after centuries of growth.
The Princess of Malara confirmed the grove’s damage, warning that the goddess’s departure has dried the river. She urged immediate arrests and requested the IGP to re-establish a police station in Malara to deter crime. The Baale and Abore vowed swift traditional and legal action.
Environmental experts and the UNEP call the incident “an assault on heritage and nature demanding urgent intervention.”
Yoruba World Heritage Foundation.
Malara [South] Under Seige By Illegal Loggers With Conspiracy of A self acclaimed leader of no visible means of livelihood.
Police & Ogun State Government intervention requested.
Conclusion: A Line in the Soil
The desecration of the Oluweri Grove is not only a crime against nature but an affront to Nigeria’s culture, faith, and dignity.
Allowing this to continue will show that our environmental laws exist only on paper.
As twilight falls over Imobi, villagers look upon fallen trunks where cool shade once reigned.
Yet hope endures.
“They are cutting more than wood,” said a young farmer.
“They are cutting the roots of our identity.”
If Nigeria cannot defend Oluweri, it cannot defend its forests, its people, or its soul.
The time for silence is over — NESREA, Ogun Forestry, and the Police must act now.
Yoruba Global Heritage Foundation.
© 2025 Headlinenews.news | Investigations Desk
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