Hundreds of farmers in Ondo State blocked the Lagos-Ore Expressway on Sunday, protesting the alleged forceful takeover of their farmlands at the Oluwa Forest Reserve by SAO Agro-Allied Services Limited, a company linked to Ayo Sotinrin, Managing Director of the Bank of Agriculture.
The demonstrators, wielding placards and palm fronds, accused the firm of destroying their plantations despite a court injunction restraining such actions. According to Musafiu Irewolede, a spokesperson for the protesters, the company, in collaboration with the state government, has displaced over 15,000 farmers, threatening their livelihoods.
Felix Adeniyi, one of the affected farmers, lamented the economic impact, stating that many families depend on the land for survival. Efforts to get a response from the Ondo State government were unsuccessful.
However, Sotinrin denied the allegations, asserting that SAO Agro-Allied legally acquired the land with a Certificate of Occupancy. He claimed the company offered farmers 3,000 hectares of alternative land and compensation, but some refused to vacate illegally occupied areas.
The protest highlights rising tensions over land rights and commercial agriculture expansion in the region.
