Metro

Ondo Monarch Leads Mass Protest Against Forceful Ejection Of Farmers

Published

9 months ago

August 27, 2023

Aged farmers in llua village, Ondo west council area of Ondo state, weekend stage mass protest against the alleged sale of their cocoa plantations and other farmlands by the state government to foreign companies.

The protesters were led by the traditional ruler of Ilua, Oba Olalani Ibidapo.

Displaying placards with various inscriptions, they raised the alarm that the state government had issued them quit notice in all the 20 villages in the area and equally threatened to evacuate them forcefully if they failed to relocate before the end of the year.

Chanting “All we are saying, leave us alone,” the inscriptions on their placards reads, “This is another Slavery”; “We say no to the destruction of our cocoa farms; “No Farmers, No Nation”; “We don’t want to steal, farming is our job”; “Aketi should not sell our lands to Chinese”; “They should leave us here to farm, we have no where to go”; “Cocoa farm is our livelihood, don’t chase us out”; “Cocoa farm is what we live on, don’t sell the lands to China.”

Speaking with newsmen, the monarch, Oba Ibidapo, said: “There were some people who came to our villages and started erecting signposts that the state government has sold our farmlands and villages to Chinese and Indian companies.

“They said government has issued notice that we should quit our farms and villages because the companies wanted to move in and take over our farms and villages.

“We have been here for over 100 years and we are here farming, no other things. I have more than 19 villages under me here, Ilua, Laoso, Adejori, Logunofe, Keseomi, Obadore, Obakele, Ilua 2, Kangidi, Oloruntedo, Abayemisi and Magbaralewon just to mention a few.

“We heard suddenly that we should move out unexpectedly. Where are we going to go. Look at our people, no work. We have graduates among us here, but since there’s no job, they ventured into farming.

“We are protesting against this policy and we also appeal to our Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu to please consider our situation here.

“We are large communities and that’s why state government itself provided health centres, schools and polling units for us here.

“We voted for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other candidates of All Progressives Congress (APC) in the last general elections. We are more than 50,000 in terms of population.

“But I want government to take note that If they insist on ejecting us, there would be problem. Many of the victims would turn to criminals.

“Look at youths working on the farm, government should be happy about this development. Look at the crowd.”

The Chairman of Youths of Laje community, Laoso District, Ondo West, Akinbami Philip said: “We are begging our governor to rescind this policy and order.

“We have graduates who have farms here, we want the government to leave us so that we would continue working on our farms. This is where we feed our families.

“Government asked us to pay money and we are faithful to it. Every year, government did give us payment advice, sometimes N3 million and we did pay.

“But now, they no longer give us payment advice. The last time we paid to the government coffers was in 2021 because they don’t give us payment advice again.

“What we think is that the government wants to sell these lands totally. This would make us suffer. We have started seeing white men coming to the land, we are against this policy.”

Another community leader, Prince Francis Adewole, called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to help them prevail on Governor Akeredolu to allow them continue working on their cocoa and plantain farms.

“We are begging President Tinubu also to help us appeal to Governor Akeredolu to give us a chance to enjoy what we have laboured for.

“We have been here for over 100 years, we have lots of cocoa plantations, plantain farms, kolanuts farms and other crops. We are many here and our only occupation is farming.”

One of the farmers, a graduate of Physics, Ademola Ajibola, told newsmen that he decided to venture into farming when he couldn’t get a job in the city.

Ajibola said: “We are highly surprised by the state government’s action against us. We have been here for many years, I am a graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University, but no job.

“Yet I decided to venture into cocoa farming. We do pay to the government our dues till 2021 when we saw some people erecting signpost on our farms.

” They said they were given the order to come and destroy our cocoa and other plantations. Where do we go from here?

“We have villages all around here, no hideout for bandits or criminals. We are protesting because the government would not let us breathe.

“Food security is our watchword here, we sell foods to the people in town. If we are being evacuated from here, I don’t know what might be the result.

“But if this policy of leaving here is being carried out, there would be social implications, there would be disaster.”

A community leader, Mrs. Faith Akinduro, lamented that instead of being encouraged by the state government for going into farming, the government allegedly wanted to eject them from their farmlands.

Akinduro said: “Sometimes last year, we were given notice that some people were being arrested here, so we should leave this place. They are ready to destroy all our properties.

“We are not criminals here, we are farmers, we should be encouraged instead of this. We do pay our dues. When it is election period, they do come here and we do vote for them. Why are they claiming that people are not here?

“It is a pity, I don’t have anywhere to go, we depend on farm work here, no other work for me. Where do you want over 50,000 people to go? We are doing fine here, they should look into the situation, because if not, we women would carry guns and turn to criminals.”

Contacted to comment on the alleged ejection of the farmers, the Senior Special Assistant (Agric & Agribusiness) to the governor, Pastor Akin Olotu, denied the allegations.

Olotu, said that state government didn’t issue such quit notice and sale of the farmers farms to anyone or foreign firm.

VANGUARD

Metro

Traditional Ruler, Two Others Killed In Bloody Benue Land Dispute

Published

1 day ago

May 14, 2024

Editor

A protracted land dispute between the people of Okete in Ohimini Local Government Area, LGA, of Benue state and the neighbouring community of Otukpo-Nobi in Otukpo LGA over the ownership of

Amla-Icho community land has claimed the lives of a traditional ruler and two others in the feuding communities.

It was gathered that the age long dispute was triggered last week when the Chairman of Otukpo LGA, Alfred Omakwu allegedly sent a bulldozer to the disputed land to enable him commence work on the creation of a layout in the area.

The presence of the earth moving equipment angered the people of Okete who moved to stop the destruction of the cultivated land.

In his account on the incident, the Chairman of Otukpo LGA said “the problem is that the Okete people lost it. It is a dispute between Amla in Otukpo and Okete in Ohimini LGA and a total of three people lost their lives in the crisis.

“What happened was that they (the Okete people) used to go and farm in Amla land but sometimes last year when we wanted to develop a layout there, the Okete people went to report to the Och’Idoma that their farm produce were there and the Och’Idoma directed that no layout should be done until they harvest their products.

“February this year, they harvested their produce and the Och’Idoma called them and informed them that by March this year, Otukpo would go ahead with their layout and that they should not farm there again.

“But when the bulldozers returned they said they had farmed there already and reported the matter to their Second Class Chief as well as their LGA Chairman who called me and I told them that the Och’Idoma asked them not to farm there again because of the layouts.

“So when the bulldozer went there on Friday, they came with their lawyer who called me and I told him everything and said if they want to go to court, it was their right.

“They demanded that the bulldozer stopped work but their lawyer advised that they should wait for him to get an injunction from the court but they said they could not wait.

“They then went to the First class chief of Otukpo/Ohimini who called Och’Idoma and the Och’Idoma said they should not stop the people doing the layout because he asked them not to farm their again.

“At that point they went there and opened fire on the people; they killed one and shot two people and burnt all their motorbikes about 10 of them.

“Then Otukpo retaliated the next day; they also burnt some houses and killed one person and killed another person in Amla making two.

“But we have maintained calm. The Police Commissioner summoned all of us for a peace meeting so we are restoring peace now among both parties. We have agreed that all the culprits will be arrested and brought to book.”

Countering his Otukpo counterpart, the Ohimini LG Chairman, Samson Okoh who also acknowledged that the dispute was over land said “there is a place called Amla, it’s close to Okete. The Otukpo Chairman took the bulldozers to the place where the Okete people used to farm for years and according to him he wanted to do a layout. So he went and destroyed their farm crops.

“When the Okete people demanded an explanation, the Amla people said the land does not belong to the Okete people but to the Amla people.

“According to what I was told, when the argument ensued somehow one of them from Otukpo pulled the trigger and shot but the bullet mistakenly hit a fellow Otukpo person.

“Then on Saturday night the Amla people went and reinforced and barricaded the Okete people, burnt houses, beat up ans killed one boy. And on Sunday around 10am when I went to take the boy they killed to the mortuary, the Alma people went to the place again and burnt 17 houses, burnt motorcycles, slaughtered a Clan Head Chief Sunday Okpe, and shot five other persons who we took to the Teaching Hospital in Otukpo for treatment.”

The Chairman who informed that the community had been deserted said the parties had been summoned by the Police Commissioner over the matter and that efforts were on to apprehend the masterminds of the crisis.

On whether the Paramount ruler of Idoma land, Och’Idoma Agaba-Idu John Odogbo asked his people not to farm on the said land again, the Chairman said, “I am not aware of that but the Otukpo Chairman claimed so. I was not told by the Och’Idoma to tell the people not to farm there.

“Moreover, the Och’Idoma cannot tell the people to stop farming where they have been farming for several years without compensation or settlement and you just take the bulldozer to destroy their crops on the hectares of land they eke a living from.”

Contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Superintendent, SP, Catherine Anene who confirmed the development said the command received the report of one death though she was awaiting full details of the incident.

Metro

Troops Eliminate Shekau’s Top Ally, Tahir Baga In Sambisa Forest Troops

Published

2 days ago

May 14, 2024

Editor

The troops of Theatre Command, North East, ‘Operation Hadin Kai’ have successfully killed a top commander of the Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihād, otherwise known as Boko Haram, TAHIR BAGA.

This great feet was achieved following continuation of troops’ major offensive at terrorists enclaves in Sambisa Forest.

Sources revealed that Tahir was neutralized on May 13, 2024 when the troops unleashing the major operation codenamed: Operation Desert Sanity III, moved down terrorists’ enclaves of Shababul Umma, Garin Panel Beater and Lagara Anguwan Gwaigwai right at the heart of the forest.

Intelligence sources and Zagazola Makama, a Counter Insurgency Expert and Security Analyst in the Lake Chad region also confirmed the incident to our Correspondent on Tuesday.

It was gathered that, in the course of the offensive, contact was made with the terrorists which led to the defeat of the terrorist top commander as well as some of his lieutenant while several others escaped with gunshots wounds.

“Tahir Baga, was a close Ally to Abubakar Shekau. He was among the first sets who founded the Boko Haram movement in Maiduguri before moving into Sambisa Forest with likes of Mamman Nur, Khalid Albarnawi, Abubakar Shekau, Kaka Ali, Mustapha Chad, Abu Maryam and Abu Krimima.

“Tahir Baga was a revered Imam who was respected among the Sect group. He had on several basis truncated efforts of many fighters and their families to surrender and has also pushed many under aged girls to go on suicide bombing after convincing that they will be granted paradise as everlasting reward.” The source said.

The killing of Tahir Baga, is a major blow to the Boko Haram terrorists groups.

Another source said that “the neutralizing and sacking of terrorist communities, also led to the rescue of 14 persons comprising 4 women and 10 children from the terrorists captivity.

“The troops the firepower of the rampaging troops, fled in different directions, abandoning their weapons and other equipment.

“Among such weapons were a heap of bomb-making materials; 1 RPG 7 tube; Pkm 1X Rpg 7 tube, 1X ak47 rifle, 1 RPG Bomb, 1X RPG 7 Charger quantities of 97X 7.62MM Nato, quantities of 99X7.62 MMX 51MM, quantities 554X7.62 MM X 54 MM, 5, MCs, 2 bicycles, 3 mobile phones 11 magazines, 3 hand grenades 2 bandolier, one starlink WiFi system, 1 lithium inverter batteries of 100 AH, 1 solar inverter of 200 AH, 1 hand held patrol radio among others items were found in the terrorists enclaves.”

Metro

PoS Operator Shot Dead In Ogun

Published

2 days ago

May 14, 2024

Editor

Gunmen suspected to be armed robbers have killed a Point of Sale operator in the Oke-Lantoro area of Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The incident happened at about 7 pm on Sunday, May 12, 2024, when the gunmen stormed the area on a motorcycle, shooting sporadically.

A source told the punch that the incident caused panic among residents of the area who scampered for safety.

“One person was shot in the Oke-Lantoro area on Sunday. The men who were armed with guns came on a motorcycle and shot sporadically in the air, and before we realised what was happening, they shot at the lotto agent. There was tension as people were scampering for safety so as not to be caught in the incident,” the source said.

The source, however, added that the intervention of the police brought the situation to calm.

The spokesperson for the State Police Command, SP Omolola Odutola, who confirmed the incident said it was a suspected case of robbery and not cult clashes as speculated.

She identified the victim as one Mutiu Salako who was shot by two armed men during the attack.

“The incident happened, but it was a suspected case of armed robbery, not cult clash as speculated by some persons. Two armed men were reported to have stormed the area in a motorcycle and shot at the PoS operator who was in his shop in the area,” the PPRO said.

Odutola added that a manhunt had been launched for the fleeing suspects while vowing that the police would do everything to ensure they were brought to justice.

“What we want the good people of Ogun State to know is that suspects can only run but can not hide. We will do everything possible to bring them to justice.”