By Atoyebi Nike
Farmers and residents from five communities in Ilaro, Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun State, have petitioned Governor Dapo Abiodun over rising land encroachment and violent attacks by armed groups.
The affected communities Iweke, Idode, Koto-Obo, Ilobi-Omuwa, and Ileba warned that the activities of land grabbers and criminal gangs threaten food security and the livelihoods of families who have farmed the land for more than 150 years.
In the petition signed by their spokesperson, Pastor Oyero Olurin, the farmers accused the groups of destroying crops, stealing livestock, and assaulting residents despite the state’s Anti-Land Grabbing Law. They also alleged that some law enforcement officers and corrupt legal practitioners were aiding land speculators in selling land illegally.
The petitioners urged Governor Abiodun to enforce the anti-land grabbing law, disarm the attackers, assist displaced families, and establish a task force to protect vulnerable communities.
