The Kogi State government has banned the production, sale and use of charcoal across the 21 local government areas of Kogi State.
The State Commissioner for Environment, Victor Omofaiye, who announced this in a statement on Saturday said that charcoal production and use in Kogi was illegal and highly prohibited, adding that any person or group of persons caught producing or in possession of the charcoal would be arrested and prosecuted in the court of law.
He also said any vehicle used in conveying the fuel will be confiscated.
“Any vehicle caught carrying charcoal shall be impounded by the Kogi State Government,” he said.
In recent times, the sale of charcoal has become a well paying business in Kogi due to its high demand as the costs of domestic cooking gas and kerosene keep skyrocketing.
The indigenes complain of indiscriminate and felling of trees in their farms by thugs.
Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), otherwise known as cooking gas, which used to be sold for N250 and N350 per kg has skyrocketed to between N650 to N750 per kg, while kerosene jumped from N220 per litre to N350 per litre.
Residents who could not afford the high prices of gas and kerosene sorted to the use of charcoal.
This has led many people to venturing into charcoal production and marketing to meet their domestic needs and make a good profit
Investigation showed that a bag of charcoal is now sold as high as N1,800 to N2,200 in Lokoja as against the previous prices of N900 and N1,200.
(NAN)