On Monday, residents of the Aponmu village in Ondo State’s Akure South Local Government Area invaded the governor’s office in Alagbaka, Akure, the state capital, in protest of some alleged land grabbers invading their territory.
They claimed that the invaders had attacked those who resisted and destroyed their crops, especially their cocoa plantation.
“Mr. Governor, please save our soul, we are suffering” is one of the messages on the signs that the demonstrators were holding. “Mr. Governor, please assist us,” “Land grabbers have taken control of our Coca farms.”
To prevent bloodshed in the neighborhood, they consequently urged Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to save them from the invaders.
Pastor Tope Akinkuade, the demonstrators’ leader, clarified that the locals are being harassed by the purported land grabbers as they destroy their crops without consequence.
The farmers revealed that armed thugs accompanied the invaders, who would attack any farmer who ventured to oppose them.
In a letter addressed to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa via his Special Advisor (Special Duties), Bola Taiwo, the protesting farmers pleaded with the governor to step in and stop additional damage to their farms, which would lead to unrest in the neighborhood.
“This is to inform Your Excellency of an imminent threat to peace in Aponmu, arising from possible confrontation with land grabbers operating in the community, which may lead to a breakdown of law and order,” the letter partially said.
“Aponmu is a multiethnic town that has supported several ethnic groups from all over Nigeria for more than a century, with a focus on cocoa growing. Cocoa plantations are the sole source of income for many individuals.
