Farmers operating in various camps and sub-camps within the Oluwa Forest Reserve (OA3A) in Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State have petitioned Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, alleging threats of arrest, detention and unlawful intimidation by the Chairman of the Ondo State Agribusiness Empowerment Centre (OSAEC), Mr Rotimi Wemimo Akinsola.
The petitioners claimed that Akinsola is aiding and abetting fresh aggression by SAO Agro-Allied Services Limited, in what they described as a brazen and contemptuous violation of a subsisting court order.
The petition, dated 30th April 2025 and referenced TTC/L/205/2025, was signed by their lawyer, Mr Tope Temokun, of Tope Temokun Chambers, who alleged that the latest actions of Akinsola were deliberately calculated to destabilise the forest reserve and orchestrate the forceful eviction of the farmers, all under the guise of peacekeeping.
According to the petition, on 28th April 2025, while the farmers’ leaders, including Mr Abayomi Isinleye, were honouring an invitation to a peace meeting convened by Akinsola in Akure, agents of SAO Agro-Allied Services Limited moved heavy-duty machinery into the forest reserve and began grading operations on farmlands.
The farmers claimed that this move was a well-coordinated ploy to dispossess them of their land while their leadership was absent from the area.
However, farmers on ground reportedly resisted the attempt, successfully averting what could have escalated into a violent clash. Photographic evidence from the scene was attached to the petition to buttress their claims.
They further alleged that during the said meeting in Akure, Mr Akinsola openly threatened Mr Isinleye, stating that he had the mandate of Governor Aiyedatiwa to arrest and detain the farmers’ leaders, and that the Governor had instructed him to “deal with the farmers brutally.”
The farmers expressed deep concern over this statement, describing it as extremely troubling and indicative of executive lawlessness.
Their lawyer, Mr Temokun, noted that such comments from a government appointee signalled a dangerous descent into impunity under an administration that, since the tenure of the late Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, had maintained a reputation for respect for the rule of law and compliance with court orders.
He warned that the threats issued by Akinsola not only constituted contempt of court but also amounted to an unlawful abuse of executive powers.
The petitioners cited a valid and subsisting interlocutory injunction granted by the Ondo State High Court in Ore on 24th March 2025, in SUIT NO. HOR/14/2023, restraining the Ondo State Government, its agents, and SAO Agro-Allied Services Limited from undertaking any further grading, evicting farmers, or interfering with the farmers’ peaceful occupation of the forest reserve pending the determination of the substantive suit.
They lamented that the relative peace which had been in place during the pendency of the court case had now been shattered following Akinsola’s alleged resumption of aggressive tactics against them.
Temokun stated that Akinsola had continued to invoke the Governor’s name as his authority, spreading fear and panic among the farmers.
He referred to an earlier petition dated 6th March 2025, which they attached to the latest complaint, recalling that similar attempts had previously been made to destabilise the area by filing what they described as a “frivolous court action before an inferior court.”
According to the petition, there is now an apparent pattern of coordinated harassment being carried out by what the farmers described as an “alliance” between Akinsola and the SAO Group, which includes SAO Agro-Allied Services Limited and SAO Capital Limited.
The lawyer decried the situation as disheartening, particularly given the peace that had endured during the court process.
He alleged that Akinsola, instead of protecting government interest, was behaving “more like a special adviser to SAO Agro-Allied Services Limited than to the Governor of the state.”
He added that the farmers firmly believed Mr Akinsola was merely veiling his personal interests under the authority of the Governor, even in the face of a superior court order.
The petition strongly condemned the actions of Akinsola and SAO Agro-Allied Services Limited, describing them as “not only contemptuous of the court but reckless and a gross abuse of office capable of bringing the judiciary to disrepute.”
The lawyer expressed optimism that Governor Aiyedatiwa would uphold the principles of justice and continue in the footsteps of late Akeredolu by respecting the rule of law and protecting the rights of vulnerable citizens.
Accompanying the petition were photographs of the attempted grading, a certified copy of the interlocutory injunction granted by the High Court in Ore, and the earlier petition dated 6th March 2025.
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