February 22, 2025
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Farmers in Gerald Village, located in the Ìjèbú Ode area of Ogun, are reporting significant losses and trauma after hoodlums invaded their community, violently attacked them, set their homes ablaze, and destroyed their plantations. This ordeal began days after the farmers refused to participate in an oath-taking ceremony organized by the village head, Chief Abiodun Akinbowale.

In exclusive interviews with PUNCH Metro on Wednesday, the farmers detailed their harrowing experiences. Talabi Daniel, one of the injured farmers, suffered a machete wound to the head. He insisted that the chief led the thugs who attacked his home with various weapons. Videos viewed by PUNCH Metro showed Talabi and another villager with multiple cuts on their bodies while others could be heard screaming for help. Additionally, the videos depicted several buildings that appeared to have been demolished and burnt.

“The day they came to attack me at home, it was about 10 p.m. I was sitting in front of my compound. They lied that they were policemen and that I was under arrest. I was surprised because I hadn’t committed any offense. So, I asked for their identification number and arrest warrant,” Daniel recounted. “They started beating and stabbing me as soon as I attempted to use my phone to record them. They hit my forehead with some weapons and took away my phone. It was my screaming that alerted other villagers, who then came to my rescue. There were about nine of them. My only offense was refusing to be forced to take an oath.”

Kehinde Akinolu, a 65-year-old farmer, also shared his tragic experience. “My house was burnt by the hoodlums. They seized our motorcycles that we used to ride to the farm. This Baale refused to release them. He brought the caterpillar to the village. The people he sent to torment us were the ones who cut down our cocoa plantation—about three acres. When we heard what was happening, we rushed down to the farm. Before we returned to the village, another group of the same thugs had razed down our houses. There was nowhere to sleep.”

Akinolu’s family was even chased out of a church where they had sought refuge. “These same people stormed the church, threatening us to move out. They said our offense was refusing to obey the Baale. How can he force us to take an oath when we have not done anything? I’ve been living and farming in that village for over 20 years, even before he became the Baale in 2017. We started the farm as far back as 2004. What I had on that farm was not less than N6 million in farm produce. They have sold all my plantations.”

Anthony Michael, another affected farmer, appealed to the authorities for assistance. “We didn’t do anything wrong. Two villagers had a quarrel over some money the people contributed. One of them mentioned the name of the Baale as also being responsible for the missing money. A few days later, he called us for a meeting, where he settled the matter between the two men. After that, he returned with a calabash filled with water, forcing us to drink it. Some of us refused, saying it should be those fighting who should take the oath, not us. He then threatened to take our farms and banish us.”

Chief Abiodun Akinbowale, however, denied the allegations, claiming ignorance of the incident and stating that the issue was between the farmers and the state government. “If you’re calling me from PUNCH, you will have to go to the Ministry of Forestry Reserve in Abeokuta. It is the governor who put the commissioner in charge. The governor announced it on the radio. I don’t know about their farm,” he said. “I am the Baale of Gerald. I was at home, not on the farm. They fought me and even took me to court.”

When asked about the oath-taking, Akinbowale redirected the inquiry to a local king, asserting that he had no knowledge of the matter. “I cannot talk about the oathtaking because I don’t know what is between them and the King. It is the government that demolished their house, not me,” he concluded.

The farmers are now appealing for justice and assistance, as their livelihoods have been destroyed, and their lives are in turmoil.

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