Ogun Communities Protest Alleged Allocation Of Ancestral Land To Chinese Investors

 ABEOKUTA -Residents of Fere and Oniporogun communities in Orile-Imo, in Olufemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, have appealed to Governor Dapo Abiodun to intervene in the alleged allocation of portions of their ancestral land to Chinese investors, warning that the move threatens their homes, properties and future community expansion

The residents made the appeal during a protest at the disputed site, where they alleged that bulldozers and security personnel had been deployed to commence work on land already occupied and developed by members of the communities.

They expressed support for industrialisation and economic development but insisted that such initiatives should not come at the expense of existing residents, many of whom claimed to have invested their life savings in building homes on the land.

Speaking during the protest, the Baale of Fere community, Chief Okesola Adesegun Alani, said the residents were not opposed to government-backed industrial projects, but wanted their existing homes and developed properties protected.

Alani said the community had been engaging the government since 2017 over its request for an extension of the village, lamenting that the matter had yet to be resolved.

He explained that residents had also made collective efforts to provide basic amenities, including electricity, through communal contributions, while many had acquired land and developed properties in the area.

“We are not fighting the government over development. We want the community to be developed; we want industries. But the industry we are bringing should not be at the expense of the community. We don’t have any place to go,” he said.

The traditional ruler alleged that community leaders were not consulted before the reported allocation of the land, expressing concern over what he described as the deployment of heavy machinery and security personnel to the disputed area.

Before any government can allocate land, they have to contact the leader of the village, the Baale. None of us was contacted. They just came with police, caterpillars and other equipment and started bulldozing our land,” Alani alleged.