Ekiti community seeks Oyebanji’s intervention over alleged encroachment of land

The people of Odo-Oro Ekiti, Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti State, have called on the state governor, Biodun Oyebanji, to intervene over the continuous encroachment of their lands by a company called Agbeyewa Farms.

The community explained that multi-million farm crops and produce of the people have been destroyed by the company with no compensation paid to the owners.

The community’s counsel, Kayode Akinwunmi, who spoke while addressing newsmen alongside traditional chiefs from the community on Wednesday in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, said all efforts of the Onise of Odo Oro Ekiti, Oba Babatunde Jemilehin, and the Federation of Odo Oro Ekiti Development Union (FODU) to resolve the issues have been unsuccessful.

While acknowledging the move by the organisation to establish a cassava processing company in the area, which resulted in the allocation of 20 hectares of land to them, the community maintained that this should not be done at the detriment of the people’s lives and livelihood by going beyond the allocated and mapped areas for their plantation.

Akinwunmi revealed that the administration of former governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, entered into an agreement with the organisation to clear lands in some communities in the local government area for their investment in the cassava value chain.

He, however, expressed displeasure that the organisation had consistently encroached on their lands without authorisation, which he said is causing serious unrest in the community.

The legal practitioner added that the community has submitted a petition to Governor Oyebanji, calling on him to address the situation before it degenerates into a crisis in the agrarian community.

He said, “We call this briefing as regards the criminal, whimsical, and a very daring way and manner in which a private company known and addressed as Agbeyewa Farms encroached on their community land lying, being and situated at Oko Aun and Oko Ikasi all in Igboroko farmland, along Itapaji Ekiti Road, Odo Oro Ekiti.

“The level of destruction of cash and economic crops on this land this time around is so high that one wonders whether individuals wrecking this level of havoc on their fellow human beings have any blood in their veins. At a stage, the youths within the community decided to confront these characters and land grabbers, but the Onise of Odo Oro would not allow such, as he pleaded for calm.

“However, there is a limit to human endurance. Odo Oro community remains an agrarian community, with more than 95 percent of the inhabitants engaging in commercial agriculture on a large scale. The community could aptly be described as the food basket of Ekiti production of early yams commencing in June of each year.

“This is apart from other cash crops like cocoa, oranges, plantains, and other economic trees, which abound on this land, with many of the crops relied on by the people for sustenance. Sadly, these cash crops and economic trees are already cleared and continue to be cleared by Agbeyewa Farms agents, cronies, or representatives.

“We are bringing the attention of the Ekiti State Government to this brazen assault on their collective sensibilities by Agbeyewa Farms, and if not quickly curtailed, they may have no other better option than to exercise to protect their ancestral belongings in the prevailing circumstance.

When contacted, the Director of Corporate Communications and Engagement, Agbeyewa Farms Limited, Alhaji Dauda Lawal, denied the allegations of the community, adding that the company followed all legal means in acquiring the lands from the state government.

Lawal explained that the company paid millions of naira in acquiring the land, including the certificate of occupancy, urging the community to direct their grievances towards the state government.

He said, “The 5,000 hectares of land allocated to us by the Ekiti State government, spanning Ipao, Esun, Odo-Oro, and Itapaji communities, were obtained legally and through due process.

“All monetary payments for the land were made directly to the government accounts, as required by the law, and COFO was given to us by the state government. We did not engage in any under-the-table transactions or sign any agreements with individuals or groups outside of the official government channels.

“We’d like to reiterate that we did not at any time sign any Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Odo-Oro or any community for compensation. What we were told during the discussions with the state government on the said land was that compensation would be handled by the state government to the affected communities.

“We urge the Odo-Oro community to direct their concerns to the Ekiti State government, which allocated the 5,000 hectares of land to us, collected payment from us, and issued us a CofO.”

According to him, the company, since it started operations in Odo-Oro Ekiti and other neighbouring communities, has impacted positively on the areas with job opportunities for youths and helped in tackling the perennial security challenges in the zone.

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