Farmers and residents of Ajogbo Akia Community in the Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State have appealed to the state government for urgent relief following the alleged destruction of their farmlands and agricultural plantations by suspected landgrabbers and impostors.
The community made the appeal on Tuesday during a press conference held at the secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Abeokuta.
It disclosed that petitions had earlier been submitted to the Ogun State House of Assembly and the office of the state governor at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
Addressing journalists, the Baale of Ajogbo Akia, Dr Oluwasegun Adebiyi, represented by the community secretary, Chief Timothy Olamide, said the alleged destruction had deprived many residents of their primary source of livelihood.
Adebiyi described the community as predominantly agrarian, noting that generations of residents had depended on farming for survival. He alleged that cassava, yam, maize, okra, mature palm trees and other agricultural plantations had been destroyed.
“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.
“For a community whose principal source of livelihood is agriculture, this means that we have lost virtually everything we depend upon to survive,” he said.
The community leader said the alleged destruction had negatively affected household incomes and food security, particularly for farmers who had invested years and significant resources in their farms.
He disclosed that the matter had been reported to the police at the Ado-Odo Police Division, while commending the Ogun State Commissioner of Police for issuing a public statement on the alleged incident.
However, he called on the police to intensify efforts to prevent further attacks and destruction.
“We thank the Ogun State Commissioner of Police for their press release and want them to do more in terms of ensuring that the landgrabbers don’t continue to perpetuate mayhem and dehumanisation of our people,” he said.
Adebiyi also revealed that the community had commenced legal proceedings over the land dispute, stressing that residents remained committed to resolving the matter through lawful means.
He emphasised that the community was not asking the government to interfere in or prejudge the ongoing case, but to provide humanitarian assistance to affected families while the judicial process continued.
“We have lost our farms. We have lost our crops. We have lost our livelihood. We have lost virtually every means of sustaining our families. We need urgent relief. We need humanitarian assistance. We need support to rebuild our lives,” he said.
The community appealed to the Ogun State Government to provide emergency financial assistance, food, agricultural inputs and other livelihood support to enable affected farmers return to farming.
It also requested assistance for displaced and severely affected families, as well as an independent assessment and documentation of the agricultural losses allegedly suffered by residents.
The community further appealed to Governor Dapo Abiodun and relevant government agencies to send a delegation to Ajogbo Akia to assess the situation firsthand.
Beyond the farmland dispute, the residents raised concerns over the community’s longstanding infrastructure challenges.
According to the community, Ajogbo Akia has continued to lack electricity, adequate public roads, a government-owned public school and a primary healthcare facility.
Adebiyi said the community had written to the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company and the Rural Electrification Agency in Abuja concerning its electricity challenges but had yet to receive a solution.
“Our community has historically had limited government presence and basic public infrastructure. For generations, our people have lived without electricity supply, government public road infrastructure serving the community, a government-owned public school and a government health clinic or primary healthcare facility,” he said.
He urged the government to increase its presence in the community, noting that residents had continued to fulfil their civic responsibilities, including during elections.
Despite the infrastructure challenges, Adebiyi said residents had continued to pool their resources to develop the community, particularly because farming remained the main source of livelihood for many families.
The community therefore renewed its call on the Ogun State Government to urgently visit Ajogbo Akia, assess the alleged losses and provide support to affected farmers and households.
“Our message is simple. We are not asking government to decide our case. We are asking government to save our people from economic devastation while the case is before the court,” the community said.
