On the 18th of April 2023, farmers in communities around the Oluwa forest in Ore Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State woke up to the sound of bulldozers and other earth-moving equipment moving down their cocoa, cola nuts, oil palm, and plantain farms.
The next day the farmers from Temidire, Adeleye Itamerin, Ikawo, Ijoba, Ayeleso, Isero, and their sub-camps in Ore, Odigbo Local Government Area stormed Akure, the capital of Ondo State, in protest, against the destruction of their farm(s) worth about N500 million by SAO Agro Allied Services Limited, a private organization that had bought their farmlands from the state government.
Although no government official addressed the protesters, the Special Assistant to the Ondo State Governor on Agric and Agro Business whose office supervised the transfer of the farmlands to private investors told journalists that the farms were being cleared to give room for the cultivation of oil palm as a part of CBN initiative.
“We told them that we are going to support them with new cocoa seedlings. Nobody is sending anybody to the unemployment market. If you’re affected, there’s provision to take care of you.
“Those that are not affected this year, the arrangement is that they should start now in this new area. We are going to give them seedlings when it’s planting season. We now want to do standard farming, what you have from five hectares, you can now get from one hectare with proper management.”
He didn’t mention anything about enumerating what is lost and plans for compensation to the farmers. An investigation by DNN reveals that no enumeration was done, the farmers were not consulted, and have not been paid compensation.
To seek justice the aggrieved farmers dragged the Government and SAO Agro Allied Services to the State High Court.
Their prayer to the court suit number HOR/14/2023 is “An order of interim injunction restraining the Defendants/Respondents and their privies and their servants and their agents and/or anyone acting through them or for them or on their instruction or authority, from further grading or continuing to grade the claimants/applicants’ farmlands of cocoa plantations in their farmlands covering the camps of Temidire, Adeleye Itamerin, Ikawo, Ijoba, Ayeleso, Isero, and their sub-camps, within Oluwa Forest Reserve (OA3A) Odigbo, Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State), the s, the subject-matter of this suit, pending the hearing of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction;
“An order of interim injunction restraining the Defendants/Respondents and their privies and their servants and their agents and/or anyone acting through them or for them or on their instruction authority, from forcefully evicting the Claimants/Applicants from their farmlands of grown cocoa plantations, covering the camps of Temidire, Adeleye Itamerin, Ikawo, Ijoba, Ayeleso, Isero, and their sub-camps, within Oluwa Forest Reserve (OA3A) Odigbo, Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State), the subject-matter of this suit, or from taking over the Claimants/Applicants’ said farmlands, pending the hearing of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction.”
Justice Aderemi Adegoroye who presided over the case granted the prayers. However, the Ondo State Government and SAO Agro Allied Services did not obey the orders.
While their counterpart from Odigbo Local Government is in Court fighting against the sale of their farmlands to SAO Agro Allied Services, farmers in Laosho, Ulugba, Adejori, Kabiyesi, Lafa, Oloruntedo, Obadore Yinka, Keseomi, Lomofe, Gbekelu, Langbodo, Abuja, Lopaun, Sahara, Aba Cocoa, Topeu, Bolorunduro, Iyolope and Yemisi, Ondo West Local Government Area are also protesting the takeover of their farmlands by Inkjet, a Chinese company.
On the 25th of March 2024, they also took to the streets to call for government intervention.
Akinbamijo Olanrewaju who spoke on behalf of the protesters begged Governor Lucky Ayedatiwa to help them.
He said “We heard that the Akeredolu-led government had sold all the land we use to plant cocoa and just a few weeks ago, we saw about eight bulldozers in various places on our cocoa farms and they told us that every farmer should vacate because they would clear the farmlands.”
Baale of the Adejori community Olorunyomi Adegunloye told journalists about the plight of the people and stated that he doesn’t have anywhere to go.
“We have been here for many years and I cannot go anywhere with my children. I’m old. We are just asking the government to have mercy and leave us alone here.”
Death And Debts
According to research by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) published by www.researchgate.com, Ondo State produces the highest quantity of cocoa in Nigeria, a reasonable fraction of the cocoa produced in the state comes from Odigbo local government.
A long-term arrangement that allows the farmers to plant in the Oluwa forest reserve and make annual returns to the government has existed.
Farmers from within Ondo State and states like Osun, Kwara, Cross River, and Ebonyi have made these communities their new home for many decades.
Abiodun Idowu was working on the coca farm owned by her husband with her one-year-old baby strapped to her back, when the bulldozers moved in. She ran from one person to the other trying to beg the agents of SAO Agro Allied Services, to have mercy on her and not destroy the farm, she tripped and fell on her back, her weight crushed the infant on her back, the baby died.
Isiaka Oyekola started planting cocoa in 2007, he arrived at his farm to watch his sweat of over 16 years being destroyed, he slumped and was revived by neighbors.
“I have lost a lot on that farm. Feeding my two wives and seven children has become difficult. Some time ago, I returned to the farm and shed tears. Now I’m a laborer working for my colleagues, whose farms are still intact. I have to beg other farmers for everything I need, including yams. It’s more like from grace to grass.” Isiaka narrated.
Akintayo Adeolu also described how he fell from wealth to penury by the destruction of his farm.
He said “In a year, the least I make from that farm is N15 million. My child at the polytechnic had to stop because I couldn’t pay the fees again. The company has planted palm trees on my farm. I cannot return there again because the evil is done. We practically beg to be fed, yet we cannot leave here. My years of labor are gone.”
A 45-year old Akure based trader, Esther Agbeluyi, said that some of the farmers have lived for over seventy years in the area, investing their all. She said, “I am from Ikirun Osun state but my grandmother married her husband there almost seven decades ago.”
Another farmer, Odugbami Omolawa, pays as much as eight million Naira to the coffers of the government annually.
The destruction of the farmlands has led some to their graves and others highly indebted. Two farmers reportedly died a few days after the farmlands were destroyed.
Abiodun Osayinrosun, a cocoa farmer with decades of experience took DNN through the tedious process of getting funds to farm.
He revealed that “To be able to take care of their various financial needs throughout the year before harvest, cocoa, and oil palm farmers used to borrow money from produce buyers. Some borrow as much as five million Naira. With their farmlands gone, many of them are in serious debt now.”
Nurudeen Oladipupo who has been farming for over 20 years in the forest could not hide his frustration. He said “We have more than 3,000 farmers in our camp and there are more than 14 camps in the forest. Farmers, who were making millions of naira annually, are now begging for food. We have nowhere to call home. We are suffering.”
Used And Dumped
Chairman of the Farmers Associate in the region, Abayomi Isinleye narrated how around 2018 Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu called them to a meeting and praised them for their efforts in boosting the revenue of the state as their cocoa is the best in quality.
“Before the crisis started, the government invited farmers to Akure, the state capital. We went there and the government officials asked about our location and what we planted. They welcomed us and commended us for feeding the population. They said it was because of our efforts that the state has one of the best grades of cocoa in the country.”
At a subsequent meeting in 2020, the governor asked them to vote for him as he has lofty plans for them.
“When the governor wanted to go for a second tenure in 2020, he had another meeting with us and said that he wanted to take our names to the National Assembly so that we could become Federal-Registered Farmers. He asked us to vote for him, and that he would do everything he had promised us.
“After we voted for him and he got re-elected, that was when we overheard, he had sold all the lands in the forest to agro-investors and all farmers were asked to leave. The government did not dialogue with us on the plan to send us out of the forest.”
While the affected farmers groaned in pain, the government described them as economic saboteurs.
Although the then governor, Akeredolu Rotimi is now dead, the farmers have not found a solution to their problems. However, Lucky Atedatiwa’s government has promised to look into the matter.
Chief Press Secretary to Governor Lucky Atedatiwa, Ebenezer Adeniyan told Punch Newspaper when he was contacted to know the position of the governor that the government is looking into the matter to find a lasting solution to the problems of farmers in Ondo West, Idanre, and Odigbo Local Government Forests whose farmland has been sold to agro-investors.
“The government has taken note of the agitations of the communities and will look into finding an acceptable solution to the issue.”
This report was produced with support from Civic Media Lab