Metro

Ekiti: Farmers Threaten To Invoke Ancestral Powers Over Government Failure To Pay Compensation On Lands Acquired For Airport

Published

3 years ago

October 18, 2021

No fewer than 1,000 farmers across five communities in Ekiti State on Monday protested and demanded for compensation for their farms acquired by the State Government for the ongoing construction of the agro-allied cargo port.

The farmers, mostly the aged and widows who came from Ijan igbogun, Aso, Igbemo, and Orun Bolorunduro communities to the airport ground located along Ado-Ijan road, pleaded with the state governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi to consider their plights and investment on their farm lands and pay them compensation as promised.

The protesting farmers who carried placards with different inscriptions threatened to stop work at the airport site by invoking ancestral powers if government fails to pay their compensation within the next seven days.

Some of the inscriptions read, ‘Ekiti Assembly please come to our aide,’ ‘Governor Fayemi should pay our money without delay; ‘The farmers cry for help’ ; We need commission for our land acquired by govt’ among others.

Speaking on behalf of the aggrieved farmers, Mr Osho Olorunfemi lamented that the over 1,000 farmers from the five affected communities whose land were acquired for the airport have lost huge amount of money in investment on the crops, calling on the governor to urgently address their grievances and pay them the compensation.

Olorunfemi revealed that failure of the government to effect the payment within the next seven days would leave the farmers with no other option than to storm the site and invoke spiritual power on the land.

According to him, ” it is government that said people should embrace farming but here we are now, after so much investment on cocoa, plantain, cassava, palm tree and other crops, government came to destroy them.

” Since March this year, we have been on this issue but nothing is forthcoming, all we hear is promise and assurance since then. We are tired of promise, we need our money to start life again because we are completely down at the moment. We are aware some persons have been paid but not all of us.

”We are giving the government a seven-day ultimatum for them to pay us and if they default, we will be here on the airport site to do the needful and whatever happens after, we should not be blamed.”

Addressing the protesters, the coordinator of the airport project, Mr Bunmi Awotikun advised the affected farmers to embrace peace, assuring them that government was attending to their demands and that they would soon be paid.

”I am not against your protest but let me assure you on behalf of the governor that nobody with a farm there ,that we won’t pay. Your money will be paid , I can assure you. I will present your case to the governor for appropriate action. You should remain calm and embrace peace in demanding for your rights,” he said.

(DAILY POST)

Metro

Man Dies On Top Of Married Woman In Akure

Published

1 hour ago

May 5, 2024

Editor

A married man has reportedly died after sleeping with a married woman in Akure, the Ondo state capital.

X user, Bolanle Cole, who shared the story online, said the man left his wife at home to go to a hotel to meet with a married woman and sadly, passed away there.

“A man died of “Magun” Thunderbolt here in Akure. He left his wife at home to meet another man’s wife in a hotel and later pass on. I wish him well.”

Metro

Soldier Dismissed For Sleeping With Colleague’s Wife

Published

2 hours ago

May 5, 2024

Editor

A soldier named Abdullahi Ismail has been dismissed from the Nigerian Army after he was found guilty of having sex with his colleague’s wife.

The Lance Corporal was dismissed during the week at 231 Battalion in Biu, Borno State.

His dismissal is expected to serve as a deterrent to other soldiers involved in the act said to be common in the barracks.

The dismissed soldier had a notorious history of sexual indiscipline before he was reported to the army authorities, a source told SaharaReporters.

His offence – indecent professional misconduct and having sex with a fellow soldier’s wife – contravenes Sections 79 and 93 of the Armed Forces Act CAP A20, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

The law prescribes jail term and dismissal from service with dishonour.

Metro

Edo: Suspected Killers Of 200-level Student Of Delta Varsity Arrested

Published

3 hours ago

May 5, 2024

Editor

Two suspects have been reportedly arrested by operatives of Edo State Police Command in connection with the disappearance of one Miss Faith Omodon, a 200-level undergraduate of University of Delta, Agbor.

On March 30, inhabitants of Iru Egbede community in Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo, reported the sudden disappearance of their daughter, Faith Omodon, who is studying Business Administration in the above mentioned university.

According to the father of the missing girl, Mr. Edward Omodon, was last seen on March 30, after leaving home for farm and never returned.

According to him, the incident occurred when the community was holding their national conference.

“We usually have Iru national conference at this time of the year. We were seated inside the community hall when we heard loud wailing outside that my daughter was missing.

“She had left for the farm earlier that morning with a motorbike taking her breakfast flask with her,” he said.

Corroborating Mr Omodon’s story, Mr Ikpoba Johnbull, Head of the village vigilance group said “soon after the news of her disappearance broke that evening, we followed the girl’s mother to the farm.

“We immediately mobilised and combed the area up to Izighiri and Uwumuwe, two neighbouring villages, but could not find any trace of her.

“We only found the leftover of her lunch flask. We informed our neighbouring vigilance groups as we spent that night inside the bushes but there was no result.”

Then, the matter was reported at the Abudu Police Division which was confirmed by Divisional Police Officer, Mr Iyayi Kenneth, who said “We have transferred the case to the state police command for further investigation.”

The Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Chidi Nwabuzor, also confirmed the story, saying investigation was on to unravel the circumstances surrounding Miss Omodon’s disappearance.

However, barely a month, the vigilante group in the community said two suspects have been arrested in connection with the disappearance of Omodon and are now in Police custody.

Speaking, the National Youth Chairman of Iru- Egbede, Mr. Donald Isioma, disclosed that the suspects were arrested Saturday afternoon.

He said the two were arrested when they tracked the phone of the missing girl that was in possession of the suspects.

According to Isioma, so far, the police have recovered the phone from the suspects and the motorbike Miss Omodon rode to the farm on the day she got missing.

Unfortunately, he disclosed that one of the suspects who is a member of the community has confessed that they have killed the girl while being interrogated at Okpaihe Police State before their onward transfered to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Benin City.

When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Chidi Nwabuzor, said information concerning the arrest was yet to reach him but promised to get back as soon as he contact men of the SCID.