Merit Ibe
Residents of Igbesa community in Ado-odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State have raised the alarm over invasion of their farms by land grabbers. The alleged land grabbers according to them, intimidate, humiliate and destroy their farmlands.
The Afobaje and chairman, Igbesa Traditional Council, Mr Oyekunle Ogunbiyi, in a statement signed by the council, noted that there have been reported cases of humiliation and harassment of indigenes by land speculators and grabbers to relevant authorities but nothing has been done.
Ogunbiyi, who called for governmentís intervention against the brutal activities, said the speculators invaded farmlands with guns, cutlasses and other dangerous weapons with which they injured farmers, who tried to resist them.
According to him, they came into the farmlands through some saboteurs in the community and lamented that efforts made to stop them from the illegal acts have been abortive. He noted that farmers have protested to the palace for their inability go to farms due to the constant harassments.
The property agents in the area allegedly involved included Owoeye, Idowu, Obasanya, Abija and Scorpion.