Aggrieved farmers and residents of Aponmu community in Akure South Local Government Area (LGA) of Ondo State erupted in protests today, blocking the entrance to the Governor’s Office in Alagbaka, Akure, to decry the alleged invasion and destruction of their cocoa farmlands by armed land grabbers.
The demonstrators, wielding placards emblazoned with messages like “Stop the Anarchy: Save Our Farms” and “No to Armed Land Theft,” gathered in large numbers, chanting solidarity songs and sharing harrowing accounts of harassment, arrests, and economic devastation.
Videos circulating on social media captured the tense but peaceful rally, with protesters blocking vehicular access to demand urgent intervention from Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
Community leader Johnson Akinkuade, speaking to reporters amid the throng, alleged that over 1,000 hectares of prime cocoa plantations vital to the farmers’ livelihoods have been bulldozed and illegally sold off by a syndicate of powerful individuals allegedly backed by some state officials and armed enforcers.
“These gunmen storm our farms with weapons, cutlasses, and heavy machinery, chasing us away like animals. We’ve lost everything: our harvests, our income, our future,” Akinkuade lamented, citing the gruesome murder of local leader Emmanuel Ogboriefon several years ago during a similar resistance and the recent detention of farmer Charles Akinrolayo after he challenged the invaders.
The protests, which began early Thursday morning, highlight a resurgence of land-grabbing activities that briefly halted after prior government intervention but resumed in mid-October.
Eyewitnesses reported that surveyors and bulldozers, escorted by armed policemen, returned to clear more land, escalating fears of a “state of anarchy” in the agrarian belt.
Protesters emphasized that cocoa farming, which contributes significantly to Ondo State’s economy and Nigeria’s GDP, is now under existential threat, with millions of trees felled and families plunged into hunger.
Ondo State Police Command spokesperson, SP Olufemi Ajadi, confirmed the deployment of officers to the scene to maintain order but declined to comment on the allegations, stating that investigations are underway.
The state’s Special Adviser on Union Matters, Bola Taiwo, addressed the crowd briefly, commending their restraint and assuring that their grievances would be escalated to the governor for swift resolution.
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