By James Ogunnaike

SOME Beninese farmers resident in Erinja, in Yewa South local government area of Ogun State, yesterday, decried the Federal Government’s plan to destroy their homes and farmlands to pave the way for the building of a Police Secondary School in the town.

The farmers, whose delegation spoke with journalists in Abeokuta, said the proposed secondary school projects would wipe out their means of livelihood.

The President of the Benenise Residents in Nigeria, Ogun State chapter, Romain Kakpo, who led the farmers’ representatives including Lokossou Theophile and Amanjola Leonard, said the land in question, measuring about seven acres, was purchased from the owners, who issued them all necessary documents.

According to them, the land was purchased from the family in 2012 and 2015, stating that the land which they bought for N300,000 then is now being sold for N3 million per plot.

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They said: “It is not ordinary land. This is where we are living with our family. We have boreholes and houses on the land, we are moulding blocks on the land and we also have cassava on the land running into acres.

“We have held a series of meetings with the Kabiyesi, Elerinja of Erinja, Oba Alani Egunjobi on the way forward, but there is no way we can accept the N600,000 that he wanted to offer us.

“The amount that he wanted to offer us is grossly inadequate for the land alone not to mention the borehole, and other farm produce, such as cassava, plantain, palm tree, pineapple and other crops on the land.

“We are appealing that the federal government should send a delegation to do proper assessment and valuation of what we have on the land and the land itself including our houses. We are not enemies of development, but the right thing should be done to compensate us adequately.”

There’s no dispute— Erinja monarch

Reacting to the development, the Elerinja of Erinja, Oba Alani Egunjobi, said there was no dispute that the men were occupying some portions of land in the community on which they are farming.

He said: ”We have held a series of meetings with the people including the natives in the area. We have arrived at paying compensation for them. Their cheques are ready. But some of them who refused to submit names to be written on their cheques are the ones delaying us. Despite that, those that are ready would start receiving their cheques from today.”