{"id":6596,"date":"2025-10-20T18:16:38","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T18:16:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stage.thedaylight.org\/wp68\/?p=6596"},"modified":"2025-10-20T18:53:39","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T18:53:39","slug":"govt-ignored-offenses-now-logging-firm-fades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stage.thedaylight.org\/wp68\/2025\/10\/20\/govt-ignored-offenses-now-logging-firm-fades\/","title":{"rendered":"Gov\u2019t Ignored Offenses, Now Logging Firm Fades"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Top: Iroko logs on an open field outside of Greenville, Sinoe County. The DayLight\/Derick Snyder<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

By Varney Kamara<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

MONROVIA \u2013 In this and the last three years, The DayLight published a series of reports<\/a>, exposing a Nigerian-owned logging company\u2019s offenses. Yet, the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) ignored each of the six investigations, approving the firm\u2019s operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over eight months after the newspaper\u2019s last story, Iroko Timber and Logging Company has ceased operations. An FDA online portal identifies Iroko as \u201cinactive<\/a>.\u201d The company is indebted to the Liberian government and the Central River Dugbe Community Forest in Sinoe, where it operated. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are signs that Iroko may not return to the community. As I speak, most of their workers are now working with different companies,\u201d said Ernest Slah, a local leader, in a phone interview. \u201cI am seriously disappointed because the community is still struggling to get its benefits after all these big promises.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The story started in 2022 when Iroko signed a 15 -year logging contract<\/a> with Central River Dugbe Community Forest to lease 13,193 hectares in exchange for  schools, handpumps, and other benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Iroko failed to live up to the agreement. It owes the villagers US$28,720.19 in land rental, harvesting and other fees, as well as projects<\/a>, according to the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From their obligations to the community and the clearing of the logs from the forest, everything has been stalled since that time,\u201d said Bartee Togba, Central River Dugbe\u2019s chief officer. \u201cThey have still not paid the community debts they owed it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The FDA sanctioned Iroko\u2019s export amid its indebtedness to the Central River Dugbe and the government, violating the Regulation on Forest Fees.<\/a> The regulation requires that the FDA disapproves of an indebted company\u2019s export.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A DayLight investigation found that a majority of the logs exported were illegally harvested<\/a> and had been red-flagged by LiberTrace, the FDA tracking system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official records show that from July to August last year, Iroko paid the government US$173,432, covering export, land rental and other fees. The evidence, however, shows that the company owed the government US$16,263 in land rental fees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That August, Iroko asked the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) to pay the balance due September and October, official records show.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf we default on this agreement, our tax debt may be referred to the Ministry of Justice to sue for the unpaid tax and or court\u2019s authorization to seize and sell our property,\u201d read Iroko\u2019s commitment.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The LRA agreed, but the money has not been paid, according to official records. Iroko and the LRA did not immediately respond to queries for comments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A map of the Central River Dugbe Community Forest. Filed picture\/Forestry Development Authority<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Another DayLight investigation last year established that the  FDA permitted Iroko to export abandoned logs without fining<\/a> the firm. Thus, the government lost over US$100,000<\/a> in fines, based the Regulation on Abandoned Logs, Timber and Timber Products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, Iroko was not qualified for Central River Dugbe Community Forest due to its shareholder Timothy Odebunmi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Odebunmi is also a shareholder in Akewa Group of Companies, which was fined<\/a> US$1,000 for forging a tax clearance in 2019. The Regulation on Bidder Qualifications restricts a person who is part of a dishonest company from forestry activities for five years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back in Sinoe, Togba and other locals brace for a court action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is a sad thing to hear this because Iroko is still obligated to the community. It owes the community numerous benefits<\/a> that have not been settled,\u201d said Togba.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf the company decides to close and leave the community without settlement, we will use the law to demand our social and financial benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

This was a production of the Community of Forest and Environmental Journalists of Liberia (CoFEJ) production.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Top: Iroko logs on an open field outside of Greenville, Sinoe County. The DayLight\/Derick Snyder By Varney Kamara MONROVIA \u2013 In this and the last three years, The DayLight published a series of reports, exposing a Nigerian-owned logging company\u2019s offenses. Yet, the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) ignored each of the six investigations, approving the firm\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":6598,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[82],"tags":[123,3111,107,118],"class_list":["post-6596","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-investigations","tag-forestry-development-authority","tag-iroko-timber-and-logging-corporation","tag-liberia","tag-sinoe-county"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\n","aioseo_head_json":{"title":"Gov\u2019t Ignored Offenses, Now Logging Firm Fades","description":"In this and the last three years, The DayLight published several reports, exposing a Nigerian-owned logging company\u2019s offenses. 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