Cocoa Farmers in Ondo Protest Over Farmland Sale to Private Company

Akure, Ondo State – Cocoa farmers from various settlements in Oluwa Forest Reserve, Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State, staged a protest yesterday against the state government’s alleged sale of their farmland to a private company owned by public office holders.

The farmers, who have been cultivating the land for over 30 years, gathered in Akure to express their grievances. They claimed they had been paying dues to state government agencies for the use of the government reserve, where they occupy eight camps on 2,000 acres of land. This land supports over two million cocoa trees and various other crops, including palm trees, yam, cocoyam, maize, tomato, and cucumber.

Abayomi Rotimi, the leader of the protesters, highlighted the severe hunger affecting residents of Ondo State and Nigeria, urging the government to reconsider its decision to sell the land. He emphasized the livelihoods of over 10,000 farmers are at stake. Rotimi alleged that the company that acquired the land had already begun uprooting their crops using earth-moving equipment.

“We are cocoa farmers, tenants of the Ondo State government, farming in the Oluwa forest reserve. We have now sued as claimants in suit No. HOR//2024 – Irewole Muse and Others VS Ondo State Government and Others. The sale of the farmlands rented out to us by the Ondo State government has led to the threat of forceful eviction by ACME Palms Limited,” said Rotimi. He added that ACME Palms Limited was incorporated in July 2020 and received a Certificate of Occupancy from the Ondo State government in July 2021, for about 2000.482 hectares of forest reserve land.

Cocoa Farmers Gallery

Tope Temokun, the farmers’ lawyer, argued that while the government could grant permission to farm in the forest reserve, outright sale to a private investor was questionable. Temokun’s findings suggested potential conflicts of interest and compromised public interest in the sale process. He noted that ACME Mercury Limited, a company incorporated in 2014 and owned by a government official and his son, is a major shareholder in ACME Palms Limited.

Temokun stated, “In 2021, ACME Palms Limited bought about 2000.482 hectares of the Ondo State Government forest reserve land and obtained a Certificate of Occupancy. The involvement of ACME Mercury Limited, owned by a government official and his son, raises further concerns about the integrity of this sale.”

The protesting farmers are demanding that the state government rescind the sale to protect their livelihoods and maintain the integrity of public land management.