Residents of Odo-Oro Ekiti in Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti State have staged a protest against an agricultural firm, accusing it of destroying their ancestral heritage and farmlands.
The community members, including elders and youth, gathered in large numbers carrying placards to express their discontent over what they described as encroachment and damage caused by the company.
The protesters claimed that the firm, identified as a cassava processing and ethanol-producing enterprise, had moved heavy machinery into their land and cleared vast areas of farmland, including traditional shrines and heritage sites. They expressed concern that the community’s livelihood, which depends heavily on farming, was being systematically eroded by the activities of the company.
A traditional title holder in the community, Chief Julius Alade, stated that the firm’s operations were being carried out without the consent or proper consultation with the community. He said that critical cultural and spiritual sites had been desecrated in the process. “Our people have been farming these lands for generations. This is our identity and our source of survival,” he said.
Another protester, Mrs. Funmilayo Ogunleye, decried the impact on women farmers, stating that many had lost their farmland and were left with no means of sustaining their families. She called on the government to intervene urgently to protect their rights and restore their means of livelihood.
In response, the community leaders appealed to the Ekiti State Government to investigate the circumstances surrounding the firm’s acquisition and use of the land, urging authorities to halt further operations until issues of ownership, compensation, and cultural preservation were properly addressed.
As of the time of the protest, the firm had not issued any public response to the allegations raised by the Odo-Oro community.
