Thousands of aggrieved farmers from the Oluwa Forest Reserve in Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State took to the streets on Friday, staging a mass protest and blocking major highways to express outrage over what they describe as a coordinated plot to forcefully seize their ancestral farmlands.
The protesters, made up of local farmers and community leaders, accused the Ondo State Government of colluding with SAO Agro-Allied Services Ltd., a private firm allegedly backed by a top appointee of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to take over thousands of hectares of land they have cultivated for decades. They claim this is being done under the guise of agricultural investment, without consultation or compensation.
According to protest leaders, the land in question – part of the Oluwa Forest Reserve – has long been home to farming communities who depend on the land for cocoa, palm oil, and food crop cultivation. The sudden encroachment by SAO Agro, reportedly aided by heavily armed security operatives and state officials, has sparked fears of displacement, hunger, and the destruction of livelihoods.
“This is not just a land grab – it is an attack on our survival,” said Chief Rotimi Adebayo, a spokesperson for the protesting farmers. “We have been on this land for over 30 years. Now, with no warning or due process, we are being forced out in favor of private interests.”
The protesters are demanding immediate presidential intervention and an independent investigation into the alleged complicity of SAO Agro and state authorities. They also call for the immediate withdrawal of security personnel from the area and a halt to all land clearing or takeover activities pending the outcome of court proceedings currently underway.
Human rights lawyer Tope Temokun, who is representing the farmers in court, described the land deal as illegal and in violation of existing forest and environmental protection laws. “What we are witnessing is the blatant dispossession of the poor by the powerful,” he said.