The Ondo State High Court has granted an interlocutory injunction protecting farmers in the Oluwa Forest Reserve from forced eviction and the destruction of their farmlands.
The decision nullifies an earlier order by a Customary Court, which had directed the farmers to vacate the 10,000-hectare reserve.
The High Court’s injunction restrains the Ondo State Government and SAO Agro-Allied Services Ltd from further grading, demolishing, or interfering with farmlands in key areas of the reserve, including Temidire Adeleye, Itamerin, Ikawo, Ijoba, Ayeleso, Isero and their sub-camps.
The counsel for the farmers, Tope Temokun, told SaharaReporters on Monday that the High Court sitting in Ondo has granted an interlocutory injunction in favour of the farmers in the Oluwa Forest Reserve.
He explained that the injunction restrains the Ondo State Government and SAO Agro-Allied Services Ltd. from forcefully evicting the farmers or further grading or destroying farmlands within the reserve, particularly in areas such as Temidire Adeleye, Itamerin, Ikawo, Ijoba, Ayeleso, Isero, and their sub-camps.
“The court emphasised the necessity of preserving the economic trees: cocoa, kola nut, and palm trees that constitute the farmers’ livelihoods,” he said.
“This order effectively counters a previous order from a Customary Court that had mandated their eviction. This development reaffirms the judiciary’s commitment to upholding the rights of the farmers amidst conflicting legal directives.
“This ruling effectively overrides and supersedes the earlier interim order from the Customary Court, which was surreptitiously obtained by OSAEC, an agricultural agency of the Ondo State, purportedly ordering the farmers to vacate the 10,000-hectare reserve.”
Temokun added that the matter has been adjourned to 26th May 2025 for further proceedings.