— Send SOS to Aiyedatiwa
By Dayo Johnson Akure
Tension gripped Aponmu community in Akure South council area of Ondo state as peasant farmers and youths staged a peaceful protest over alleged invasion and destruction of their farmlands by suspected land grabbers worth millions of naira.
The farmers who stormed the governors office in Akure, the state capital to protest th activities of the land grabbers had earlier marched through their community carrying placards.
Inscription on the placards reads “Stop Destroying Our Farmlands, ”Powerful people have taken over our cocoa farms, “Aponmu Is Not for Sale,” “Mr governor pls save our soul we are suffering from the hands of land grabbers, “We Say No to land grabbing.”
The farmers accused the invaders of illegally taking over their ancestral lands and destroying food and cash crops worth millions of naira, thereby depriving over 500 of them their source of livelihood.
They told newsmen that a Save our Soul letter had been written and forwarded to the state governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, to intimate him on the imminent breakdown of law and order in the area.
Their spokesperson, Pastor Tope Akinkuade, said the activities of the land grabbers posed a serious threat to the peace and security of Aponmu community.
Akinkuade alleged that the encroachers claimed to be working for influential individuals in the state.
According to him, “several hectares of food and cash crops, including cassava, cocoa, and oil palm, have been destroyed by bulldozers allegedly brought in by the land grabbers.
He said the community had endured years of intimidation and violent attacks from individuals claiming to act under the authority of a traditional institution.
The spokesperson urged governor Aiyedatiwa to wade into the matter and protect the rights of genuine landowners, warning that further encroachment could lead to a breakdown of peace in the community.
According to him “We are peace-loving people and we depend on these farmlands for survival. It is unfortunate that some people now come with security men to forcefully take over our land.
“The continued invasion and destruction of our farms can lead to the disruption of peace in this area. We have been patient for too long, but our patience is being tested. We are calling on the state government to intervene before the situation gets out of hand.
“These people usually come in a warlike manner, armed with weapons. They take over cocoa farms, clear and sell them with impunity. Those who resist are often arrested or intimidated into silence.”
Akinkuade lamented that several farmers have been harassed, arrested, and detained unjustly after resisting the invaders, while some farmers have lost everything, while others now live in constant fear.
He cited past incidents, including the killing of community leader Emmanuel Ogboriefon and the destruction of cocoa plantations belonging to Charles Akinrolayo, who was also detained after protesting the invasion of his land.
“Cocoa farming is the lifeblood of Ondo State’s economy and a key contributor to Nigeria’s GDP, but now, millions of cocoa trees are being destroyed, families are starving, and the state is losing revenue because a few powerful individuals have chosen greed over humanity.”
He noted that although the state government once intervened to halt the attacks, the situation flared up again in mid-October when surveyors and earth-moving machines, escorted by armed policemen, returned to clear more farms.
“The bulldozers came again in October, guarded by policemen. When villagers confronted them, the policemen briefly withdrew, only to return later, claiming they were acting under some authority,” he said
Speaking on behalf of the state government, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Union Matters, Bola Taiwo, who attended to the protesters, appealed for calm and assured the angry farmers that the government would look into their grievances.
Taiwo advised them to channel their complaints through the appropriate authorities and pledged that governor Aiyedatiwa would ensure a peaceful and just resolution to the lingering dispute.
He commended the farmers for conducting themselves peacefully and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to protecting lives, property, and investments across the state.
The post Protest rocks Ondo community over invasion, destruction of farmlands by land grabbers appeared first on Vanguard News.
