Farmers and Residents from five communities in Ondo East Local Government Area of Ondo State on Tuesday stormed the Governor’s Office in Akure to protest the alleged illegal detention of two traditional rulers and the forceful takeover of their ancestral lands.
The protesters, drawn from Italemikan, Abusoro, Ateru, Igbomowo, and Uloko Agbonden communities, carried placards with inscriptions such as “Free Our Obas Now,” “We Say No to Land Grabbing,” and “We Want Justice for Our Communities.”
The aggrieved farmers alleged that oneOjo Ajisafe had been terrorising their communities, using police and armed men to intimidate residents and arrest those who challenged his alleged land encroachment.
Speaking with journalists, Mr. Kokuma Isaac Akinwande, who spoke on behalf of the protesters, said the two detained monarchs — the Olu of Igba Community, Oba Shina Olayeleb, and the Olu of Uloko Agbonden, HRH Moses Awonusi Apalara — were “framed” and remanded in prison through the influence of the said land grabber.
“We are here because of Ojo Ajisafe He is a notorious land grabber. He came to our land claiming his father owns everything from Ita ila to Oboto — we have never seen him before,” Akinwande said.
“Anytime we question him, he brings police to arrest us. They take us to court the next day and send us to prison. He’s using force to intimidate us,” he added.
He further alleged that the two monarchs were unlawfully arrested and remanded after refusing to cede community lands.
“Our two Obas — the Olu of Igba, Shina Olayele, and the Olu of Uloko Agbonden, HRH Moses Awonusi Apalara — are now in prison because they defended our land. We are appealing to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to intervene and free them,” he pleaded.
Another protester, who simply identified himself as Ajibola, said the communities had earlier written petitions to the governor, the Chief Judge, and the Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly without getting any response.
“We don’t want violence or crisis in our land. That is why we came peacefully to seek government intervention. We just want justice and for our traditional rulers to be released,” he said.
The protesters urged the state government to probe the alleged land grabbing and harassment by the suspect and his backers.
As of the time of filing this report, the state government had yet to respond to the protest or issue an official statement.
