Some Cocoa farmers in Owode Gerald, Ijebu- Igbo, Ijebu North LGA, Ogun State , have been allegedly brutally attacked by natives in the area.
This alleged attack occurred on the 24th of August, 2024 at the farmland at Owode Gerald by some natives of the community who were allegedly empowered by the Traditional ruler of Oke-agbo and his Agents in the community. The attackers reportedly came at them with Cutlasses and Guns and the victims also sustained injuries in the course of the attack, which they say is not the first , second or third attacks .Despite pleas and petitions against further attacks, this act of violence has continued.
The victims of the recent attack include Talabi Daniel, Ajayi Timothy and Eleojo SA.
The perpetrators allegedly took their lawlessness a step further by stealing their cocoa worth over 5million and a Motor cycle worth over 1.5 million and still ordering for the arrest of the victims to Thorpon Police Station and having them unlawfully detained. The case was escalated to the State CID human rights desk at Eleweran ,but with the quick intervention of the Femi Falana Chambers and some Journalists, their release was effected.
The big question now is why would a group of people stage an attack on innocent victims who are Cocoa Farmers, and get them detained by the Police and yet walk free.
The Police claim that they were following orders from a petition that was written against the Cocoa farmers in the area but the names of the arrested victims were not in the so called petition.
Why would the Traditional ruler of Oke-agbo wield so much power and influence to allegedly make the Police unlawfully arrest and detain innocent tax paying citizens without the Police carrying out due investigation into the matter. The same Traditional ruler sends out people to carry out unprovoked attacks without being questioned.
This is an aberration of Justice as it can now be construed that this Traditional allegedly has the Police under his control. “He said he can buy, any security agencies”. The appropriate authorities are hereby called upon to take the necessary steps to investigate the menace that the Traditional ruler of Oke-agbo and his agents at Owode Gerald has turned himself and his community into.
