Protest rocks Ondo as farmers kick against alleged sale of farmlands

COCOA farmers in Oluwa Forest Reserve in Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State, yesterday,  protested against the sale of 2,000 hectares of their farmland to a private company by the state government.

The over 10,000 farmers and tenants in the Government Fores Reserve alleged that officials of the state government sold the land in the forest reserve to a company in which they have vested interests.

According to them, the sale of the land in the Government Forest Reserve was in “violation of the forestry laws of Ondo State and other relevant laws.”

Addressing newsmen, the chairman and Secretary of the Oluwa Forest Reserve Farmers as well as the Head of farmers in Ijoba camp, Abayomi Isinleye, Odugbemi Omolewa and Irewole Muse said that they have been farming on the land for over 30 years.

The farmers lamented that the private company, ACME Palms Limited, armed with a Certificate of Occupancy, issued by the government, dated July 23, 2021, said they had bought 2000.482 hectares of the state government forest reserve land and served them quit notice.

Isinleye, who spoke on behalf of the farmers, said: “The various settlements grouped into camps include, Ijoba, Sete11, Ipade, Ayeleso, lsero, Temidire, Adeleye Itamerin and their sub-camps, within Oluwa forest reserve (0A3A) Odigbo council area of Ondo State.

“They entered into the forest reserve to commence the process of grading and forceful taking over the forest reserve where about 10,000 farmers who are Ondo state government tenants, have cultivated over two million cocoa trees before the alleged sale of the land.

“While we know that the government can grant permission or license to people to log or farm in the forest reserve we did not know and believe government forest reserve land could be sold outrightly to private investors.

“Our findings have unearthed shady deals, potential conflicts of interest and compromise of public interest, the interest of the people of Ondo State and integrity of the entire process of this sale of government forest land to these private investors.”

Also speaking with newsmen, their lawyer, Tope Temokun, alleged that some government officials were involved in the sale and purchase of the 2000.482 hectares of the Ondo State government forest reserve land.

Temokun said: “These discoveries do not only undermine the integrity of the purported sale of government property and using the influence of public office to perfect documentation of such sale but disclose apparent conflict of interest which raises serious legal and ethical concerns.

“Upon these discoveries, we called on Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, to investigate the sales of land in the government forest reserve and the conflict of interest of some public office holders involved.”By Dayo Johnson

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