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Ondo Monarch Leads Mass Protest Against Forceful Ejection Of Farmers

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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.

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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.

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“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.

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“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.

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“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.”

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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.

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“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.”

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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.”

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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.

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” 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.

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“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.

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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.”

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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

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Son Narrates How Mom Killed Dad With Pestle

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A 12-year-old boy, Ibukun Solomon, has narrated how his mother, Tayelolu, killed his father, Felix, with a pestle while he ewas sleeping, after a minor argument in Ondo town, Ondo State.

Vanguard gathered that the mother of three, reportedly killed her 65-year-old husband, a farmer, by hitting him thrice with a pestle while sleeping in their house, located at the Government Reservation Area, GRA, in Ondo town.

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Reports had it that the couple, in recent times, have been having a crisis and the wife always threatens to kill the husband and elope.

It was gathered that after another argument last weekend, the deceased went to sleep on the chair and the wife reportedly hit him several times with a pestle.

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Narrating how his father was killed, lbukun, told newsmen that “my mother killed my father with a pestle in my presence and took to her heels. She used the pestle to hit his head when he was asleep.

“Earlier on the fateful day, a minor argument had ensued between them that resulted in a fight. After the fight, my father went to lie on the chair and my mother hit his head with the pestle.

“He became unconscious and fell down from where he was sleeping. My mother used the pestle to hit my father’s head three times. He later died.

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“When my mother saw that my father was already unconscious, she hid the pestle at the back of our house and ran away.

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”I alerted some of the residents, who rushed my father to the hospital. But he later died. His corpse has been deposited at the morgue.

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“My mother had three children for my father and I’m the last child.”

Speaking on the ugly incident, a brother of the deceased said that the family members have mediated several times to settle the incessant fight between his brother the his wife.

He lamented that all their efforts proved abortive.

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According to him, “The woman had been threatening to kill her husband whenever they were fighting. And the deceased informed us about the threats. But we never knew she would carry out the devilish act.

“But this time, she took laws into her hands and killed our brother for nothing. She must be arrested and prosecuted accordingly.”

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Efforts to reach the state police spokesperson, Funmi Odunlami, proved abortive.

But a top police officer confirmed to Vanguard that the fleeing suspect would soon be arrested and charged to court for murder.

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Fake Drug Manufacturer Operating In 13 States Arrested In Ondo

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A fake drug manufacturer, operating in 13 states in the country, under the name Brother Paul Legacy Foundation, has been arrested by the Ondo state task force against fake and counterfeit drugs.

The taskforce arrested the fake and counterfeit drug dealer, at the office of the organization, located at cultural area, in Ondo road, Akure, the capital state following a tip off.

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According to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Mrs Folukemi Aladenola, the fake drugs organisation was caught with concoctions which they claimed can cure all kinds of ailment that are injurious to people’s health.

Aladenola said that the organization, operates in 13 other states in the country.

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The team got information that the organization was in town since June, treating all kinds of ailments at a price with the claim that they could treat all ailments such as cancer, low sperm count, diabetes, hypertension, hepatitis and barrenness and claimed to be registered with NAFDAC.”

She pointed out that the Ministry of Health would always protect the health interest of the people of the state at all times.

According to her, the state government has ensured that its people have unfettered access to healthcare delivery by increasing access to health facilities through the suspension of registration fees in all government facilities to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal.

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The gesture of the government should prompt our people to access government health care facility but to our surprise, people still patronise these quacks and their prices range from N5000 to N10,000″.

“Instead of using this money to patronise quacks, you can get quality drugs at the government facilities in the state”

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“The era of out of stock syndrome is over, now our facilities now have enough drugs to cater for the health of the people at an affordable price. Now our facilities have been directed to get their drugs from this agency. If you don’t get drugs in these facilities, you can question this gap.”

Aladenola advised the people of the state to always access healthcare from qualified personnel and accredited government and private facilities while also emphasizing that the organization would be handed over to the appropriate authority to be sanctioned.

According to VANGUARD, the Permanent Secretary warned all fake drug dealers in the state would be brought to book.

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The representative of
NAFDAC, Mr Samuel Olatunji, said that the apprehended representatives of the Brother Paul Legacy Foundation were parading themselves to have NAFDAC registration on their product but it was discovered that their registration number was fake.

The Chairman of the taskforce in Ondo State, Olugbenga Lasekan warned those involved in the selling of fake drugs and adulterated consumables to desist, saying that anyone caught would face the law.

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Suspected Killer Of Rivers DPO Saved From Lynching, Detained

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…My boss, 2Baba, has over 40 guns—Suspect

Operatives of the Rivers State Police Command have arrested one of the persons alleged to be involved in the killing and decapitation of the Divisional Police Officer of Ahoada Division in Ahoada East Local Government Area, Mr Bako Angbashim, a Superintendent of Police.

Meanwhile, the Ogoni ethnic nationality in Rivers State, where Angbashim served before his redeployment to Ahoada, has said they were not the people that killed five members of Angbashim’s family.

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It will be recalled that the family of Angbashim, four children and wife, were allegedly killed by criminals, allegedly forcing the slain DPO to go diabolic in the line of duty.

But, the Ogonis in a statement in Port Harcourt, yesterday by the Ogoni Peoples Assembly, OPA, said the slain DPO did not lose his family members in Ogoni land as insinuated.

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The leader of OPA, Rev. Probel Williams, said the deceased DPO had a very good and cordial relationship with the people of Ogoni when he served as the DPO of Bori, Khana LGA, adding that his family members would not have been killed in the area.

Williams said the support given to the deceased contributed to his crime-fighting success, stating that his presence brought sanity and restored security in the area.

However, the police in the state said they had detained one of the persons, involved in the killing of Angbashim.

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It said youths had arrested the suspect and were about to lynch him before he was rescued by the police and then detained.

The Public Relations Officer of the Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, who confirmed the development, said the suspect was arrested by youths and was about to be lynched before police came to the rescue.

READ ALSO:Murdered Rivers DPO: Fubara Slams N100m Bounty On Suspects, Suspends Monarch

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My boss, 2Baba, has over 40 guns—Suspect

Speaking earlier to youths, who apprehended him, the suspect whose name was not disclosed, said his boss, 2Baba Gift David Okpala Okpolowu, popularly called 2Baba, had over 40 guns in his custody.

He said his boss had contacted a native doctor from the Ogoni area of the state, who helped them kill the DPO spiritually to enable them to defeat the gallant officer.

He said: “I will not lie, when they killed the DPO, I was not there. I was across the river. I will not lie, I have a conscience. When they brought the DPO, I did not see him. I swear. I don’t know where they buried him. But I know where they brought him from.

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“2Baba has over 40 guns since I went there. The person who supplies guns to him, he called the person on the phone, pays the person, and then they will supply the guns. I don’t know him.”

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