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May 2, 2023
SaharaReporters earlier reported how the farmers’ camps were invaded by hundreds of armed men of Amotekun Corps, soldiers and personnel of Oodua Peoples’ Congress (OPC).
An Ondo State High Court in Ore has stopped the state government and a private company called Sao Agro-Allied Services Ltd. from forcefully evicting over 10,000 farmers from the Oluwa Forest Reserve in the Odigbo Local Government Area of the state.
The court, which was presided over by Justice Ademola Adegoroye, ordered the authorities involved to maintain the status quo until further pronouncement.
SaharaReporters earlier reported how the farmers’ camps were invaded by hundreds of armed men of Amotekun Corps, soldiers and personnel of Oodua Peoples’ Congress (OPC).
According to some of the farmers, they had been farming on the land for over 20 years.
The farmers questioned the decision of the state government, saying they were not properly briefed.
However, the state government said it had allocated thousands of hectares currently occupied by the farmers in the reserve to a private company for the cultivation of oil palm.
The farmers also recently staged a peaceful protest around Ore Tollgate axis, along Lagos-Ore Expressway, which leads to their camps.
They displayed placards to express their grievances against Governor Rotimi Akeredolu’s administration.
Some of the protesters brandished leaves while crying out that the government should consider their plight.
They subsequently approached the court to stop the government and its agent from further damage to their farmland.
In the suit filed by their lawyer, Tope Tomekun, the farmers asked for, “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), 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 or 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), 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.”
After hearing Tope Temokun, the counsel for the over 10,000 farmers, the court ruled that the application has merit.
It said it deserved to be granted and gave orders as prayed.