Suspected individuals involved in land grabbing, including some Chinese nationals, stand accused of allegedly damaging more than 700 stands of robust hybrid palm trees in the Ogere Remo area of Ogun State. This incident reportedly occurred on July 18, 2023.
According to information obtained by PUNCH Metro, one of the family members, identified as Adeleke Kalejaye, disclosed that the suspected land grabbers used tractors to invade the farmland and completely demolished the palm tree plantation. Following this destruction, the Chinese nationals reportedly entered the land with their own tractors to further clear the area.
Kalejaye expressed his frustration, stating that despite having a Certificate of Ownership since 2013, the suspects had been employing certain law enforcement agencies to intimidate the family members, compelling them to remain silent and forcing them away from their farmland, which they had cultivated for over 40 years.
Kalejaye shared, “My late father acquired that land in the 1970s and began planting palm trees on the farm in the 1980s. We have been engaged in farming there for more than four decades. We had a peaceful coexistence with the community. In 2013, the former governor of Ogun State issued us a Certificate of Ownership (C of O), and we continued farming on the land. However, suddenly, in 2023, a group of individuals arrived with tractors and destroyed the entire farm, including all the palm trees.
“The destruction alone, in addition to the land’s value, amounts to approximately N100 million, considering the 700 stands of deeply rooted hybrid palm trees. The land grabbers were the initial culprits who destroyed the plantations, and the Chinese were not present during the destruction.
“Nevertheless, after the land grabbers cleared our plantation, the Chinese arrived with their tractors. They have been using certain law enforcement officers to intimidate us right from the beginning. The land is just two kilometers past the interchange, just before the former tollgate in Ogere.
“I reported the matter to the Ogere police station, and I subsequently escalated the case to the Zone 2 Command. Some of the land grabbers were also invited there. The Assistant Inspector General (AIG) then ordered them to halt work and initiated an investigation at the Land Bureau to verify the authenticity of the two documents. Eventually, the case was transferred to Abuja.”
Efforts to contact the force’s Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, were unsuccessful, as he had not responded to the message sent to him at the time this report was filed.
