According to the group, investigations have revealed that the state governor is not aware of the activities of the invaders.
A civic rights group under the aegis of Centre for Democracy and Socio-Economic Rights (CEDSER) has petitioned the Inspector General of Police, (IG), Usman Alkali Baba and the Governor Abiodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State, to launch investigations into large scale land-grabbing in Itapaji-Ekiti Community in Ajoni Local Government area of Ekiti State.
CEDSER in the petition signed by its leaders, Popoola Ajayi and Idris Shetima, said that a group of land-grabbers invaded Itapaji in the Northern fringe of Ekiti where they “are currently bulldozing several acres of land without the free, prior and informed consent of the owners or the leaders of the community”.
The group called on Governor Oyebanji to investigate the matter, saying the invasion of the ancestral land of the community raises fundamental questions about the future of the environment and livelihood of some 10,000 people who have lived on the land for close to 1,000 years.
According to the group, investigations have revealed that the state governor is not aware of the activities of the invaders.
It added that the community has confidence that the governor when briefed will wade in and stop the destruction going on at Itapaji-Ekiti.
The group also noted that it has written to Nigeria’s prominent human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) and other regional human rights bodies to initiate a concerted effort to stop the environmental carnage as the invaders appeared to have come with armed men whose status is unknown.
It said that reports received from community leaders indicated that the encroachment on the Itapaji land started two years ago but was halted partly due to communal resistance.
However, the invaders came again this year to continue their mission, the group said.
“The invaders came with several heavy-duty equipment which has led to the loss of valuable trees, vast farmland, destruction of sacred spiritual sites and special species of plants and animals have been destroyed.
“The community woke up to the noise of bulldozers and caterpillars. The invaders had no discussion with anyone. The agricultural crops, spiritual worship places of the indigenous communities, their plants and lurch green forest, their health-giving plants were mauled down in a few hours by an unknown group of land-grabbers who claim to be acting on orders from above. The invaders target over 100 hectares of land which is almost half of the entire landmass of the community.
“The cost of the destruction on the land as at Wednesday this week runs into over 100 millions of naira not to talk of the priceless sacred and spiritual temples that the invaders have callously and irresponsibly destroyed,” the group said.
According to the rights group, the community youths and elders are prepared to lay down their lives rather than allow their land and ancestry to be wiped out by a “profiteering, inhuman, cruel and greedy racket”.
It urged the Inspector General of Police, state governor, Oyebanji and other human rights groups to urgently intervene to stop an epic resistance that could lead to the loss of human lives.