The Ogu Concern Forum (OCF) has raised the alarm over what it described as an ongoing “criminal siege” involving alleged intimidation, destruction of farmlands, land grabbing and incursions into Ogu communities in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Caretaker Committee, Professor Senayon OlaOluwa, and made available to The Nation on Saturday, the ethnic group specifically cited Ajogbo Akia, an indigenous Ogu community in the suburb of Ado-Odo, alleging that organised groups had destroyed crops across large areas of farmland and were attempting to take over landed properties.
OCF described the situation as serious and called for immediate intervention by the Ogun State Government, the police and other relevant security agencies.
The group said complaints about the alleged incidents had already been brought to the attention of law-enforcement authorities, but claimed that affected communities continued to experience insecurity and what it termed traumatic dispossession.
While acknowledging the Ogun State Police Command’s intervention and public response concerning Ajogbo Akia, OCF urged authorities to ensure that law enforcement was visible in the affected communities.
“Effective law enforcement must be visible on the ground, as inaction emboldens lawlessness,” the group said.
OCF further alleged that the situation in Ajogbo Akia was part of a wider pattern of land-related disputes, intimidation and threats allegedly affecting several Ogu communities around Ado-Odo.
It listed Idoleyin, Okanran, Obakobe, Agboku, Ajogbo Zebbe and Bandu among communities where it said there had been recent incursions and tensions.
The organisation warned that continued communal and ethnic tensions could undermine peace and development in Ado-Odo, urging traditional, political and community leaders to work towards resolving the disputes.
OCF also rejected what it described as attempts to portray Ogu residents of the affected communities as strangers or temporary occupants.
“The Ogu people of these communities are not strangers, tenants or temporary occupants of their ancestral communities,” the statement said, maintaining that the Ogu have longstanding historical roots, institutions and ancestral lands in the Ado-Odo area.
The group called on security agencies to thoroughly investigate the allegations, protect residents and their property, prevent further destruction and prosecute anyone found to have violated the law, regardless of status, ethnicity, political influence or connections.
It also urged Ogu, Awori and other communities in Ado-Odo to pursue an “honest, inclusive and historically informed dialogue” on identity, indigeneity, community boundaries, historical relationships and peaceful coexistence.
According to the group, no community can attract sustained development and investment without peace and security.
OCF stressed that Ado-Odo’s future should not be determined by land speculators, ethnic tensions or individuals who benefit from communal instability, while calling for mutual respect among the area’s diverse ethnic communities.
