Farmers, who have been displaced by the airport project initiated by the Ekiti State government, have staged a protest.
The farmers, who are from five affected communities, on Wednesday, January 20 protested against what they called the “illegal acquisition of their farmlands and unlawful destruction of economic trees and crops” by the government.
The farmers, who are from Igbemo, Igbogun, Aso, Iwajo and Ijan communities across three local government areas of Ado, Gbonyin and Irepodun/Ifelodun, trooped out to the project site and called on Governor Ayo Fayose to with immediate effect cease the work on the site in respect to the suit filed in court already.
They claimed that at least 10 farmers including three women have died of shock over what they called “huge economic loss” owing to the destruction of their farms.
They also called the taking of their land “fraudulent, wicked, callous and illegal,” accusing the government surveyors and other officials of coming to their land from time to time to steal farm produce including cocoa, coco-yam, yam and banana.
The farmers, who were carrying placards, stated that they did not receive adequate notice before the government deployed bulldozers to destroy their farms.
They further stated that they were after the restoration of their land and not compensation.
Some of their placards read: “Gov Fayose, Please Relocate Your Airport to Government Forest,” “We All Say No To Illegal Airport Project,” “Please Leave Us Alone, Don’T Damage Our Life,” “This Land Is The Major Cocoa Plantation, Please No Trespass,” “Igbogun Cries Over Illegal Destruction of Our Property,” and “Iwajo, Aso Say No To Illegal Airport.”
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