The family of Pa Gabriel Modupe has petitioned the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of zone 17 comprising Ondo and Ekiti States over the destruction of their farmland in Aponmu in Akure South local government area of Ondo State.
The family through their lawyer, Chief Olusola Ebiseni, said the activities of land grabbers, despite the warning of the state government, have made life difficult for them in the community and may lead to a breakdown of law and order.
The family in the petition said they had been subjected to incessant attacks and malicious destruction of their invaluable agricultural resources, including cash crops, by land grabbers using armed criminal gangs, some of whom are disguised in military uniforms.
The family said they had reported the activities of the land grabbers to the Iralepo of Isinkan, Oba Oluwagbenga Ojo Arulewolasi that some hoodlums in military uniforms forcibly entered, violently attacked their farmland with three bulldozers and destroyed their cocoa, and other cash crops trees at Aponmu, Bbaku, Oke-Oko, and Oke-Gada in the communities
Consequently, they prayed for the Police’s intervention to stop the incessant attacks and malicious destruction of their farmland to prevent an uncontrollable breach of peace in the local government and the entire vicinity of the state capital.
The petition read in part, “Our clients are the direct sons and daughters of Pa Gabriel Modupe, who was the first to found and farm on the said land for over 100 years, wherein he also built houses and allocated portions for persons paying rents for farming purposes only during his lifetime.
“Different persons had occupied part of the said land at different times with the permission of the family after the death of Pa Gabriel Modupe. It was a rude shock on the 4th of January 2025 that some chiefs and unknown persons entered the said land with tractors, destroying both food and cash crops, which include economic trees on our client’s farmlands.
“The chiefs and the unknown persons came in the company of unknown persons with guns, cutlass, and clubs (with nails) threatening anyone that questioned their malicious acts of destroying properties on the farmlands and altering the topography of the farmlands.”
He noted that none of the suspected land grabbers had any portion of the farmlands because they were not members of the family of Pa Gabriel Modupe.
“They had concluded plans to bring more thugs to resist any lawful resistance to the selling of the farmland. The said property is within the family-approved perimeter survey of our client, and our clients can no longer access other parts of the farmlands,” the lawyer stated.
Already, the family staged a protest at the Governor’s Office in Akure, carrying placards with messages such as “Our patience is being exhausted,” “Please stop them from further destruction of our property,” and “Governor Aiyedatiwa save our future,” among others.
Speaking on behalf of the family, the Chief Sasere of Aponmu, Odunayo Modupe accused certain individuals of destroying crops such as cocoa, palm trees, and cashews on their ancestral land.
His words “It is a rude shock on the 4th of January 2025, two chiefs and unknown persons entered our family land with tractors, destroying both food and cash crops, which include economic trees.
“We have submitted our petition to the office of AIG, Zone 17 detailing how they perpetrated the illegality. The land belongs to my father and all the people we apportioned the land to farm on are all here. We’ve asked the land grabbers to stop their illegality but turn a deaf ear to our demand. When we went there last time, they threatened to kill me with a cutlass.
“We are calling on the state governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa to come to our rescue. They know quite well that the land does not belong to them because we have documents backing our ownership of the land.”
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, Mr Wilfred Olutokunbo Afolabi urged the people to embrace peace, as no community can develop amidst chaos.
He assured the residents of police neutrality in solving conflicts between warring parties, as the police are saddled with the responsibility of protecting the lives and property of the people.