Ondo farmers protest over attack in forest reserve

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Farmers from the Oluwa Forest Reserve in Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State staged a protest on Thursday, decrying persistent assaults, intimidation, and harassment by alleged land grabbers.

Marching to the Governor’s Office in large numbers, the farmers said they could no longer endure attacks that had prevented them from accessing farmlands legally allocated to them by the state government.

Protesters carried placards with messages including: “We have paid our dues, we are being punished,” “Investigate bribery in Agric Ministry, OSAEC, act on our petition,” and “We are lawful tenants, don’t let us suffer injustice.”

Speaking on behalf of the farmers, Mr Adesoji Awotale explained that the crisis began after the government sold about 10,000 hectares in the OA3A section of the forest reserve to a private investor, prompting protests from long-time occupants who had cultivated the land for over two decades.

Subsequently, the government ceded 2,000 hectares to three affected communities, including Irore Ajelanwa, which received 261 hectares with verified documentation.

Awotale said the community had been paying annual dues ranging from N2m to N3m and had been preparing to renew this year’s payment before the alleged assaults escalated.

“We have been paying our annual dues in millions. We were planning to pay this year’s own before December 15th, but we feel we cannot continue to be oppressed, threatened, and marginalised on that small piece of land,” he said.

He added that the farmers had reported the matter to the Commissioner of Police, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, and the Inspector-General of Police, but no meaningful action had been taken.

They also petitioned the National Assembly, but a hearing was postponed due to the absence of the representative handling the petition.

The protesters demanded that the government and the Ministry of Agriculture immediately peg the boundaries of the 2,000-hectare allocation to prevent overlapping claims and future disputes. They emphasised that they were not opposed to government or private investment but wanted a safe environment to work without intimidation or violence.

Addressing the farmers, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Forestry, Olaleye Akinola, praised their peaceful demonstration.

He assured them that the government had acknowledged their grievances and scheduled a meeting with all parties involved to resolve the issue.

“We have set a meeting for tomorrow where we will all sit down to address the issue together with representatives from your side.

“I can assure you that the government will do something about it,” he said.

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