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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Disasters & Emergencies

Ogun community petitions Abiodun for relief after alleged farmland destruction

From The Punch · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources In the courts
  • Farmers and residents of Ajogbo Akia in Ogun State asked the government to assist families whose farms and plantations were allegedly destroyed by landgrabbers and impostors.
  • Community leaders said the damage eliminated crops, palm trees and other agricultural assets that supported local livelihoods.
  • The community has reported the matter to police and begun legal proceedings while seeking humanitarian assistance.

“We have lost our farms. We have lost our crops. We have lost our livelihood,” residents of Ajogbo Akia said as they appealed to the Ogun State government for urgent relief.

The community in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area submitted petitions to the state House of Assembly and the governor’s office before addressing journalists in Abeokuta. Farmers and residents alleged that landgrabbers and impostors had destroyed their farmlands and agricultural plantations.

The damage goes far beyond the land itself. Our people have lost cassava, yam, maize, okra and other crops. Valuable palm trees and agricultural plantations of over 50 to 100 years have all been destroyed.

— Oluwasegun AdebiyiThe community leader described the alleged destruction and its effect on agricultural assets.

Baale Oluwasegun Adebiyi, represented at the briefing by community secretary Timothy Olamide, said Ajogbo Akia had depended on farming for generations. Cassava, yam, maize and okra were among the crops allegedly destroyed, along with mature palm trees and plantations said to be between 50 and 100 years old.

We thank the Ogun State Commissioner of Police for their press release and want them to do more in terms of ensuring that the landgrabbers don’t continue to perpetuate mayhem and dehumanisation of our people.

— Oluwasegun AdebiyiAdebiyi acknowledged the police response while calling for further protection.

“The damage goes far beyond the land itself. Our people have lost cassava, yam, maize, okra and other crops. Valuable palm trees and agricultural plantations of over 50 to 100 years have all been destroyed,” Adebiyi said. He added that the losses had damaged family incomes and food security, leaving farmers without the means to support themselves.

The community said it had reported the dispute to police at the Ado-Odo Police Division and welcomed a public statement from the Ogun State police commissioner. It nevertheless called for stronger action to prevent further attacks and destruction. Legal proceedings are also under way, the community said, stressing that it was not asking the government to interfere with or prejudge the case. Instead, it wants humanitarian assistance for affected residents while the court process continues.

We have lost our farms. We have lost our crops. We have lost our livelihood. We have lost virtually every means of sustaining our families. We need urgent relief. We need humanitarian assistance. We need support to

— Ajogbo Akia communityThe community appealed for assistance after the alleged destruction of its farmland.
About this summary

Originally published by The Punch in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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