A group of commercial farmers from Afero, Itoikin Community of Epe Local Government of Lagos State, on Wednesday, protested continued displacement from their farmlands after the military reportedly claimed ownership of the land on December 11, 2023.
The military had reportedly seized the land, destroying crops in the process, estimated at billions, in a bid to reclaim the land, which it said was not duly allocated to the farmers by the state government.
The farmers had staged a protest in 2024 at the Lagos State House of Assembly, noting that their dreams of building a better Nigeria through investment in farming were crushed following the alleged forcible seizure of the land by the military.
Speaking with journalists during the protest held in Ikeja, Lagos, Chairman, Afero Commercial Farmers, Mr Wale Orekoya, lamented that despite a previous protest over the matter in January 2024 and assurances of Lagos government officials, neither have they been resettled nor have they received compensation over the destruction of their crops.
The affected farmers bore placards with inscriptions including, “Gov Sanwo-Olu, three years without commercial farming activities is a sentence to poverty,” “Northern farmers are driven from their farmlands by terrorists while the military drives Afero farmers,” “Gov Sanwo-Olu, food security starts with farmers, don’t kill them.”
The farmers argued that the Lagos State Government allocated them the land for commercial farming under the administration of Governor Babatunde Fashola as a replacement for their original farms at the Afero community.
They noted that the government had then resettled them for public use, citing the need for the development of Epe International Airport.
He said, “This is the third year since the military seized our farms, claiming ownership of the land. This is the land which was officially allocated to us by the Lagos State Government of His Excellency, Babatunde Fashola (SAN), as a replacement for our original farms at Afero Community, which were taken by the government for public use – the development of Epe International Airport.
“We immediately brought this development to the notice of your office, Your Excellency, humbly requesting your intervention. It is a matter of regret, Your Excellency, that three years after, the matter has still not been resolved.
“As responsible citizens, we sought mediation through the Multi-Door Court, but the process was frustrated by the lack of commitment of the relevant parties.
“Meanwhile, our members have remained without means of livelihood all these three years.”
He explained that Governor Sanwo-Olu had then promised intervention after discovering that the government may have resettled them on land that belonged to the military.
While acknowledging that the Sanwo-Olu government constituted a committee to review the case, Orekoya said the farmers had become disillusioned over the prolonged wait for resettlement and compensation, urging the government to expedite action.
“We acknowledge and appreciate your administration’s effort in constituting a committee comprising the honourable commissioner for agriculture and the Attorney-General to review our case.
“We understand that the committee has completed its assignment and submitted its report to your table. All we can ask for at this point, therefore, is your priority review of the report to enable a close-out of the matter without further delay.
“Further delay, Your Excellency, would translate to undesirable prolongation of the suffering of us, your people,” he said.
Asked if they sought either compensation or resettlement, Orekoya said they wanted both, as their crops were destroyed upon the military invasion, estimated at over N3bn.
Orekoya said, “It has to be both compensation and resettlement. We had our land before the state government displaced us. And we had spent a whole lot of money on the land. We did our estimation and presented it to the state government, running into over N3bn. Is it the fence we are talking about? Is it the crop we are talking about? Is it the cash crops of oil palm, rubber and cocoa that we planted?”
He maintained that when they got to Itoikin, their new allocation, the initial problem they faced was the issue of Omo Onile, who he said often invaded their farmlands and destroyed their crops, before the military action.
Orekoya added, “The 1978 Land Use Act gives the power to the state governors to allocate land. After the military intervention, we went as far as the Defence Headquarters in Abuja to find out what prompted the action. The military asked us to go to our governor, stating that they have no issue with us.
“They sent us back to the Lagos State Government. I think there was a meeting between the military and the state officials. I think, due to the meeting they had, the state government said it would look into the case and would compensate us.
“We urge the state government to live up to its promise to make sure that we are well compensated and give us another suitable land that we can continue with our business. We are urging Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to listen to us.”
He lamented that over 1,000 workers were affected following the displacement, adding that two farmers have died while others are battling health challenges owing to inadequate resources to access proper medical treatment.
Orekoya said, “Among our members are some who used their pensions and gratuities to establish their farms, which they have now been dispossessed of by the military.
“These are now at the verge of depression as they have lost all their life savings and are having to depend on the goodwill of neighbours for survival.
“Also, there are those who took bank facilities to establish their farms using their homes as collateral. They are now faced with the prospect of losing their homes for failing to service their loans due to the seizure of their farms.
“We appeal to you to please do something. Three years out of business in this harsh economic climate is unacceptable. Your Excellency, you can do something so we can go back to productive activities.”
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