Three Years After Displacement, Afero Farmers Seek Resolution to Lingering Land Dispute

Funmi Ogundare

Displaced Afero commercial farmers in Lagos State Wednesday, decried their continued loss of livelihood following the alleged seizure of their resettlement farmland three years ago in Epe by the military.

They revealed that the unresolved crisis has persisted, leaving members impoverished and vulnerable.

Briefing journalists, the chairman of the group, Prince Wale Bama Oyekoya, stated that the land in dispute was originally allocated to them by the administration of former Governor Babatunde Fashola, as compensation after their initial farmlands in Afero community were acquired by the state government for the development of the Epe International Airport.

However, he alleged that the military later took over the resettlement land, claiming ownership, thereby displacing them for a second time and cutting off their means of survival.

Oyekoya lamented that despite formally notifying the state government and seeking intervention, the matter has remained unresolved.

According to him, “Efforts to resolve the dispute through the multi-door courthouse were unsuccessful due to a lack of commitment from relevant parties.”

The prolonged impasse, he noted, resulted in the deaths of two of their members, while others battle severe health and financial challenges. 

The chairman further disclosed that some of its members had invested their pensions and gratuities in farming, only to lose everything following the seizure of the land, leaving them dependent on neighbours for survival.

“Another category of affected farmers obtained bank loans to develop their farms, using their homes as collateral. They are now at risk of losing their homes due to their inability to service these loans,” Oyekoya stated.

He described the situation as unacceptable, particularly amid prevailing economic challenges, stressing that three years without productive activity has pushed many to the brink.

He also noted that the disruption has denied them the opportunity to contribute to the state’s food security drive, as well as the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

While acknowledging the state government’s earlier step in setting up a committee comprising the Commissioner for Agriculture and the Attorney-General to review the matter, the farmers expressed concern that no action has followed the submission of the committee’s report.

He therefore called on the governor to prioritise the review and implementation of the report to bring the lingering crisis to a close.

“Further delay would translate to undesirable prolongation of the suffering of us, your people,” he stated while expressing confidence in the governor’s leadership to deliver a fair and timely resolution.

“We are not only seeking justice; we are seeking survival and the restoration of our means of livelihood,” Oyekoya stressed.