— Clears Tinubu’s aide, Sotinrin of land grabbing

—- Says allegation is politically motivated

By Dayo Johnson, Akure

Ondo State governor, Dr Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has described the protesting farmers in Oluwa Forest reserve as encroachers.

Aiyedatiwa, also clarified that the Managing Director of the Bank of Agriculture, Mr. Ayo Sotinrin, was not using any private firm to seize farmlands.

The governor described such claims by the farmers as “malicious, unfounded, and a clear attempt at character assassination.”

A statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Ebenezer Adeniyan, in Akure, the governor, explained that “the company has been operating under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement since 2021, with its acquisition and development of agro-industrial zones fully approved and supervised by the state government.

Reacting to the protest by the farmers in the government forest reserve, the governor accused them of encroaching on government land beyond the areas allocated to them for agricultural use.

Aiyedatiwa said that it was the farmers who violated the terms of the land agreement, not the private firm.

Recall that farmers in the government forest reserve had staged a protest over alleged  forceful takeover of their farms by a private company, SAO Agro-Allied Services Limited.

They alleged that the state government officials collaborated with the firm.

 However, in the statement entitled “Setting the Record Straight on Cocoa Farmers’ Protest and Role of Government Officials,” the governor said there there was a misrepresentation of facts regarding the ownership and allocation of the land in question.

The statement said that the “state government remains committed to the welfare of genuine farmers, and to the legal and responsible use of declassified degraded forest reserves for agricultural purposes.

The governor explained that many of the protesting farmers had breached existing agreements by exceeding the designated land boundaries.

According to him “Some farmers have encroached into restricted forest zones without authorization, while others have failed to comply with agreed land-use terms—actions that pose serious environmental and security concerns,” the statement read.

He denied that the government was acting in defiance of court injunctions, noting that all actions taken by the government and associated agencies, both public and private, were in accordance with the law, backed by legal counsel, verified surveys, and official notifications.

Defending his Senior Special Assistant on Agribusiness, Rotimi Wemimo Akinsola, the governor said that he “is responsible for overseeing agribusiness and managing relationships with commercial agricultural investors operating under government concessions.

He described allegations of land grabbing by the firm and state government as false and politically motivated.

The statement added that Governor Aiyedatiwa had never, at any point, pledged to support illegal occupants of government land or forest reserves.

“This administration remains committed to legal, inclusive, and forward-looking agricultural development,” the statement said.

“An investigation is currently underway to identify genuine farmers with verifiable claims, separate from speculators and unlawful occupants.”

He emphasized that the governor “is open to dialogue with all stakeholders but would not compromise the rule of law in protecting livelihoods.

The statement, reiterated the administration’s commitment to transparency, environmental sustainability, and agricultural growth as a pillar of the state’s economy.