Jalingo — Women from Yelwa community of Mambila Plateau in Sarduna Local Government of Taraba state have called on the Federal and State Governments to give necessary attention to the Ngel-Nyaki forest reserve.

Speaking during a visitation to the forest field station recently, the leader of the community women, Aminatu Yam, called on government to post forest officers to the reserve area.

Yam said there four outposts build within the reserve area and no forest officers have been posted to the outpost. She said the absence of the forest patrol officers continue to give opportunity to hunter who are encroaching into the forest reserve.

She said women from the community have also condemned the illegal grazing activities within the forest, adding that farmers in the community left the reserve area since 1986 but absence of forest patrol officers allowed illegal grazers to occupy the area illegally.

She explained that the forest's preservation is very important because most of the trees serve as medicinal plants. The director of the field station Dr. Hazel Chapman, thanked the women for their support and commitment to ensure that the forest is preserved for future generations.