By Awyetu Asabe Hope
Farmers and residents of Ajogbo Akia Community in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State have appealed to the state government for urgent relief after suspected landgrabbers and impostors allegedly destroyed their farmlands and agricultural plantations.
The community made the appeal on Tuesday, during a press conference at the secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Abeokuta.
It also submitted petitions to the Ogun State House of Assembly and the Governor’s Office at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, seeking government intervention.
The Baale of Ajogbo Akia, Dr Oluwasegun Adebiyi, represented by the community secretary, Chief Timothy Olamide, said the alleged destruction had deprived many families of their major source of livelihood.
Adebiyi said the predominantly agrarian community had depended on farming for generations, adding that cassava, yam, maize, okra, palm trees and other plantations were allegedly destroyed.
He said some of the affected palm trees and agricultural plantations were between 50 and 100 years old, while the destruction had worsened the income and food security situation of affected families.
The community said it had reported the matter to the police and urged the Ogun State Government to provide emergency cash, food, agricultural inputs and livelihood support to enable affected farmers to return to farming.
It also called for an independent assessment of the losses and urged Governor Dapo Abiodun to send a delegation to the community to assess the situation.
The community stressed that it was not asking the government to interfere in the ongoing land dispute, which it had taken to court, but to provide humanitarian assistance to affected residents while the judicial process continued.
The residents also appealed for improved infrastructure, including electricity, roads, a public school and a primary healthcare facility, saying the community had suffered years of inadequate government presence.
The appeal followed earlier allegations of farmland destruction and land grabbing in the community, which prompted the Ogun State Police Command to order an investigation and deploy patrols to the area.
