…Want Court To Revoke C of O
Over 10,000 farmers from Oluwa forest reserve in Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State on Tuesday stormed Akure, protesting alleged sales of 2,000 hectares in the forest reserves to government appointees by the state government.
The farmers alleged that their Cocoa plantations and other tree crops in the forest were sold by the Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu-led administration to some of his appointees through a registered company, ACME Palms Limited.
Speaking with newsmen in Akure, during the protest, the Chairman of Oluwa Forest Reserve Farmers, Abayomi Isinleye explained that staffers of ACME Palms Ltd invaded their farms and started bulldozing their cocoa plantations.
He said when they challenged them, the company’s staffers claimed that the forest reserve had been sold to the company by Ondo State government.
This forced them to contact their attorney, Tope Temokun, who is still handling a similar case with SAO Agro-Allied Company that bulldozed their Cocoa plantations last year.
The farmers, therefore, called on Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa in a petition to save them from the owners of ACME Palms Limited by revoking the Certificate of Occupancy(C of O) issued to the company.
Addressing newsmen, the attorney to the farmers said it was a shock to learn that some government appointees bought 2,000 hectares in the forest reserve by proxy.
He explained that in his investigation, he discovered in true certified copies of documents obtained from Corporate Affairs Commission(CAC) that the largest shareholders in ACME Palms Ltd is ACME Mercury Limited, allegedly owned by the current MD/CEO of a popular Bank in Nigeria and his son(names withheld).
Consequently, the farmers want the court to order the state government to revoked the Certificate of Occupancy issued to ACME Palms Limited in 2021.
The cocoa farmers declared that “We are Cocoa farmers, tenants of the Ondo State Government, farming in the Oluwa forest reserve in various settlements grouped into camps of Ijoba, Sete II, Ipade, Ayeleso, Isero, Temidire, Adeleye Itamerin, and their sub-camps, within Oluwa Forest Reserve (OA3A) Odigbo, Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State, who are have now sued as Claimants in SUIT NO. HOR/ /2024 – IREWOLE MUSE AND OTHERS VS ONDO STATE GOVERNMENT AND OTHERS, filed over sale of the farmlands rented out to us to by the Ondo State government leading to threat of forceful eviction of our members by ACME PALMS LIMITED from our cultivated cocoa farmlands on the ground that it has purchased the government forest reserve for the cultivation of oil palm trees.
“This private company, ACME PALMS LIMITED, incorporated in July 2020 in Nigeria with RC NO. 1698827, armed with a CERITIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY issued by the Ondo State government, dated 23rd of July 2021 and registered as No.59 at page 59 in Volume 767 of the Lands Registry of Ondo State, over about 2000.482 hectares of the Ondo State Government forest reserve land the company purportedly bought from the Ondo State government has entered into the forest reserve to commence process of grading and forceful taking over of the forest reserve where about ten thousand farmers, who are Ondo State government tenants, have cultivated over two million cocoa trees prior to this alleged sale.
“While we know that the Government can grant permission or license to people to log or farm in the forest reserve, but we did not know and believe government forest reserve land could be sold outrightly to private investor.
“Our findings have unearthed shady deals, potential conflicts of interest and compromise of public interest, the interest of the people of Ondo State and integrity of the entire process of this sale of government forest land to these private investors as will be seen below:
In 2021 when ACME PALMS LIMITED bought about 2000.482 hectares of the Ondo State Government forest reserve land and obtained a CERITIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY.
“Upon these discoveries, we caused our solicitor, Tope Temokun, to write letters to the Governor of Ondo State for proper investigation of these atrocious anomalies of the sale of its forestry reserve and by our letter dated the 19th March, 2024 written to the governor of Ondo State, we called on the Governor to investigate our findings but there was no response or action to our knowledge till date.
“When we faced further threat from this company, we decided to approach the court and through the writ dated the 8th of July 2024, filed our Counsel, Tope Temokun, we, among others, prayed the Court in the Suit No: HOR/51/2024 that “A DECLARATION that the 1st defendant’s purported sale to the 6th defendant of the land measuring 2000.482 hectares of the Government forest reserve land within Oluwa Forest Reserve (OA3A), Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State and the issuance of the Certificate of Occupancy dated 23rd of July 2021 and registered as No.59 at page 59 in Volume 767 of the Lands Registry of Ondo State, in violation of the Forestry Laws of Ondo State and other relevant laws, is illegal, null and void and of no effect.
“A CONSEQUENTIAL ORDER of this Honourable Court, setting aside and nullifying the Certificate of Occupancy purportedly issued to the 6th defendant by the 1st defendant, dated 23rd of July 2021 and registered as No.59 at page 59 in Volume 767 of the Lands Registry of Ondo State.
“AN ORDER OF PERPETUAL INJUNCTION restraining the 6th Defendant(ACME Palms Ltd) and its privies or agents, from further exercising any ownership or possessory rights over the land measuring 2000.482 hectares of the Government forest reserve land in Ondo State pursuant to the Certificate of Occupancy dated 23rd of July 2021 and registered as No.59 at page 59 in Volume 767 of the Lands Registry of Ondo State.
“AN ORDER OF PERPETUAL INJUNCTION restraining the 6th Defendant and its privies or agents, from forcefully evicting the claimants or grading the Claimants’ crops or uprooting the Claimants’ crops or doing anything adverse to the claimants’ right of possession over the land granted and/or rented out to the claimants by the 1st defendant covering the camps of Ijoba, Sete II, Ipade, Ayeleso, Isero, Temidire and Adeleye Itamerin and their sub-camps, within Oluwa Forest Reserve (OA3A), Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State and covering the land measuring 2000.482 hectares of the Government forest reserve land within Oluwa Forest Reserve (OA3A), Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State covered by the Certificate of Occupancy dated 23rd of July 2021 and registered as No.59 at page 59 in Volume 767 of the Lands Registry of Ondo State.”
