Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has dismissed reports alleging that farmlands within the Oluwarotimi Forest Reserve (OA3A) in Odigbo Local Government Area have been forcefully taken over by a private agro-allied firm.
In a statement released on Tuesday by his Chief Press Secretary, Ebenezer Adeniyan, the governor clarified that several farmers currently operating in the area have gone beyond agreed land boundaries and encroached on restricted parts of the forest reserve.
According to the CPS, some of these farmers violated established agreements by trespassing into prohibited zones and ignoring land use conditions, creating both environmental and security concerns.
Adeniyan emphasized that the state government and its affiliated agencies, both public and private, have acted lawfully and in full compliance with legal procedures. “In cases currently under litigation, all actions taken were based on legal advice, verified land surveys, and official communications,” he said, denying any arbitrary conduct.
He also addressed what he described as politically motivated misinformation, refuting claims that the governor’s senior special assistant on agribusiness or the Managing Director of the Bank of Agriculture, Ayo Sotoprin, were involved in illegal land grabbing.
He stressed that SAO Agro-Allied Services, the company at the center of the controversy, has been operating within the framework of a state-sanctioned Public-Private Partnership since 2021. Its operations, he said, are conducted transparently and in accordance with government approvals.
The governor reiterated that he had never made any promises—either before or after his election—to endorse illegal occupation of government land or forest reserves.
The government urged members of the public to disregard misleading narratives and reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, environmental responsibility, and the advancement of agriculture across the state.