Residents of Ajogbo Akia Community in Ado-Odo Kingdom, Ogun State, have raised the alarm over the alleged destruction of their farmlands and agricultural plantations by landgrabbers and impostors, appealing to the state government for urgent relief.
The community made the appeal on Tuesday at a press conference held at the Press Centre of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Iwe Iroyin, Abeokuta, where a statement by the Baalè, Dr. Oluwasegun Adebiyi, was read by the Community Secretary, Timothy Olamide.
Olamide said the alleged destruction had severely affected the livelihood of residents, noting that Ajogbo Akia had historically depended on agriculture for food, income and survival.
“For generations, Ajogbo Akia has been a peaceful agrarian community. Our people depend overwhelmingly on farming for food, income and survival. Unfortunately, our community has suffered extensive destruction of farms and agricultural plantations,” he said.
According to him, the affected crops included cassava, yam, maize and okra, while valuable palm trees and other plantations, some of which were between 50 and 100 years old, were also allegedly destroyed.
“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,” Olamide quoted the Baalè as saying.
He said the losses had left farmers without income, affected food security and plunged many families into serious economic hardship.
“Farmers have lost the crops they had planted and expected to harvest. Families have lost income. Food security has been affected. People who depended on their farms for daily sustenance have suddenly found themselves without a means of livelihood. We have lost our means of survival,” he said.
The community secretary disclosed that the matter had been reported to the police at the Ado-Odo Police Division, while commending the Ogun State Commissioner of Police for the force’s recent statement on the issue.
“We thank the Ogun State Commissioner of Police for the press release, but we want the police to do more in terms of ensuring that the landgrabbers do not continue to perpetuate mayhem and dehumanisation of our people,” he said.
Olamide also disclosed that the community had taken the matter to court, stressing that residents had chosen to pursue the issue through lawful means.
“We wish to make it clear that the people of Ajogbo Akia have taken the matter to court. We have chosen the lawful path. We have confidence in the judiciary and will respect the determination of the court,” he said.
He, however, stressed that the community’s request for government intervention was humanitarian and should not be interpreted as an attempt to influence the judicial process.
“We are not asking the government to prejudge the case before the court. We are asking the government to help its citizens survive while justice takes its course,” he said.
The community called on the Ogun State Government to provide emergency cash, food and livelihood support to affected families, agricultural inputs to enable farmers to restart production, assistance for severely affected households and an independent assessment of the alleged losses.
“Our appeal today is simple and urgent: We need immediate humanitarian and economic relief from the Ogun State Government to cushion the devastating effect of the losses suffered by our people pending the determination of the case,” he said.
The community further appealed to Governor Dapo Abiodun and relevant government agencies to send a delegation to Ajogbo Akia to assess the situation firsthand.
“We therefore appeal to His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Ogun State, Governor Dapo Abiodun, and the relevant agencies of government to urgently send a delegation to Ajogbo Akia, see the situation firsthand and assess the extent of the devastation,” Olamide said.
Beyond the alleged destruction of farmlands, the community also called for increased government presence and provision of basic infrastructure, saying residents had lived for years without electricity, a government-owned public road, a public school and a primary healthcare facility.
The community secretary said efforts to secure electricity for the area had included correspondence with the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company and the Rural Electrification Agency, but without the desired result.
“We have endured the absence of basic amenities. We cannot also be left without the only means of livelihood available to us,” he said.
The community said it had continued to contribute its own resources towards development despite the lack of basic government infrastructure, stressing that agriculture remained the mainstay of its people.
Olamide assured that the community would remain peaceful and law-abiding throughout the legal process.
“We want to emphasise that we remain peaceful and law-abiding citizens. We have taken the matter before the court because we believe in the rule of law. We will not take the law into our own hands,” he said.
He urged the government not to wait until the conclusion of the court case before assisting vulnerable residents.
“Justice may take time, but hunger cannot wait,” he said.
The community also appealed to the media to help draw public attention to the plight of the affected farmers, insisting that the residents needed urgent assistance to rebuild their livelihoods.
“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 rebuild our lives,” Olamide said.
The community concluded with a call to the government to intervene while the judicial process continues, saying: “Save our people. Support our farmers. Help us survive while justice takes its course.”
