Court bars Ondo from evicting 10,000 farmers from Idanre forest reserve

An Ondo state high court sitting in Idanre, has stopped the Ondo State Government from forcefully evicting over 10,000 farmers from the Idanre forest reserve.

Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, in his bid to key into the Central Bank of Nigeria initiative on agriculture, ceded 30,000 hectares of forest to three private firms for the purpose of large-scale cultivation of oil palm, cashew and cocoa.

The farmers, in a motion ex parte moved by their lawyer, Tope Temokun, prayed the court for an order of interim injunction restraining the defendants from forcefully evicting them or grading the farmland pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction.

Defendants in the suit are Capital Management Limited, Ondo State Governmentrnment, Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in the state and Ministry of Agriculture, Ondo state amongst others.

After listening to the argument of Tomekun, Justice S. Olorundahunsi granted prayers of the farmers and restrained the defendants including the Ondo State Government and its security network, Amotekun corps from forcefully ejecting or evicting them from their farmlands at Idanre forest reserve, Idanre local government area.

He also barred the defendants from grading the claimants’ farmlands pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction.

The case was adjourned to august 3rd, 2022.  (nation)