ABEOKUTA, NIGERIA — The Ajogbo Akia community in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area has petitioned Governor Dapo Abiodun, seeking urgent humanitarian relief for farmers whose cassava, yam, and palm plantations were destroyed in what they describe as a violent land invasion by suspected landgrabbers, leaving families without their primary source of livelihood .
The community made the appeal on Tuesday during a press conference at the secretariat of the Ogun State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Abeokuta, having earlier submitted copies of its petition to the state House of Assembly and the Governor’s Office at Oke-Mosan . The traditional ruler of Ajogbo Akia, Chief Dr. Oluwasegun Adebiyi, who was represented by the community secretary, Chief Timothy Olamide, said the alleged destruction had devastated a community that had depended on farming for generations .
“The damage goes far beyond the land itself. Our people have lost cassava, yam, maize, okra and other crops. Valuable palm trees and agricultural plantations of over 50 to 100 years have all been destroyed,” Adebiyi said. “For a community whose principal source of livelihood is agriculture, this means that we have lost virtually everything we depend upon to survive” .
Residents said the suspected landgrabbers invaded their ancestral land, destroyed farmlands and plantations, and threatened those who attempted to resist them . Community leaders have expressed concern that portions of the disputed land may have been sold to other individuals without the knowledge or consent of the community . The community has also reported the matter to the Ado-Odo Police Division and instituted legal proceedings over the land dispute .
The community stressed that it was not asking the government to interfere with or prejudge the case but to provide humanitarian assistance to affected residents while the judicial process continued . The Baale appealed for emergency cash and food support, agricultural inputs to enable affected farmers to restart production, assistance for severely affected families, and an independent assessment of the agricultural losses .
“Our immediate concern is humanitarian and economic. While we seek justice over our ordeal, we need to live. We need to return to normalcy. We have taken the matter before the court because we believe in the rule of law,” Adebiyi stated. “Justice may take time, but hunger cannot wait” .
The community also lamented the lack of basic infrastructure, including electricity, public roads, a government-owned school, and a primary healthcare facility . The Baale urged the government to send a delegation to assess the situation firsthand and called on the police to intensify efforts to prevent further attacks . The Ogun State Police Command has since ordered a comprehensive investigation into the allegations .
