Ondo Farmers Protest Detention of Two Monarchs, Demand Governor Aiyedatiwa Intervenes to End Land Grabbing in Ondo East

Hundreds of distraught farmers from five communities in the Ondo East Local Government Area of Ondo State today, Tuesday, November 11, 2025, staged a massive protest at the Governor’s Office in Akure, demanding the immediate release of two traditional rulers allegedly detained over a persistent land grabbing dispute.

The agitated protesters, drawn from Italemikan, Abusoro, Ateru, Igbomowo, and Uloko Agbonden communities, carried placards with inscriptions such as “Free Our Obas Now,” “We Say No to Land Grabbing,” and “We Want Justice for Our Communities,” lamenting the forceful takeover of their ancestral farmlands.

Speaking on behalf of the protesting farmers, Isaac Akinwande alleged that the crisis was fueled by a notorious land grabber who has been terrorizing the communities, using armed security operatives to intimidate residents and illegally arrest those who dared to challenge the encroachment.

Monarchs Remanded for Defending Ancestral Land

Akinwande stated that the two detained monarchs, Oba Shina Olayele, the Olu of Igba Community, and HRH Moses Awonusi Apalara, the Olu of Uloko Agbonden, were “framed and remanded in prison” through the influence of the alleged perpetrator after refusing to relinquish community lands.

“We are here because of a notorious land grabber who came to our land claiming his father owns everything from Ita-Ila to Oboto. Anytime we question him, he brings the police to arrest us, and they send us to prison,” Akinwande explained.

“Our two Obas are now in prison because they defended our land. They are using force to intimidate us, and our only source of livelihood is under threat.”

The protesters appealed directly to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to urgently intervene in the matter, stressing that the continuous detention of their traditional leaders and the destruction of their farmlands could lead to a severe breakdown of law and order in the affected communities. As of press time, no government official had formally addressed the protesters, though a response from the Governor’s office is anticipated.