FG urged to deploy joint security team to troubled Ogun community

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Community leaders, residents and a licensed mining operator in Feru Community, Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State, have urged Federal Government to deploy a coordinated joint security operation to halt persistent violence, protect lawful mining activities and restore normalcy to the area amid a protracted land dispute.

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The appeal was made in separate statements by community representatives, traditional leaders, residents and Alhaji Gbenga Ibuoye, a licensed laterite miner who said he holds mining rights issued by the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development.

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Ibuoye said he legally acquired about 166 acres of land for mining operations and possesses all the necessary legal documents.

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He added that he had invested hundreds of millions of naira in developing the site, including constructing a three-kilometre access road to open up the community.

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According to him, the dispute escalated after some individuals challenged his ownership of the land.

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He added that the matter had passed through the courts, where his company secured favourable judgments and injunctions restraining interference with its operations. He claimed that despite the court orders, violent attacks on the mining site had continued.

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Ibuoye alleged that armed groups led by certain individuals invaded the mining site on several occasions, attacking workers with firearms, machetes, axes, clubs and other weapons.

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He further claimed that one of his supervisors sustained serious injuries, while several employees and commercial motorcycle operators transporting workers to the site were assaulted.

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He also alleged that about 30 commercial motorcycles were seized during one of the attacks and have yet to be recovered. More troubling, he claimed that one of his workers was abducted during the violence and has remained missing for more than three weeks.

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Ibuoye said petitions had been submitted to the police, the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development and other relevant authorities, requesting urgent intervention.

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He further alleged that the same individual had been arrested on several occasions and taken to the Nigeria Police Force Zone 2 Command, the Ogun State Police Command headquarters in Eleweran and the Force Headquarters in Abuja, where he reportedly signed undertakings not to harass him, his workers or other community residents. According to Ibuoye, the individual reneged on those undertakings after each release from detention.

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Ibuoye described the individual as a “confirmed land grabber” allegedly bent on forcefully taking land belonging to peaceful residents of Feru and selling it to unsuspecting buyers.

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He said: “In all the interrogations he was subjected to by security agencies, Erinlomo could not provide any document to support his claims of land ownership in Feru, unlike me, as I have consistently provided documents supporting my ownership claims in the community.”

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Ibuoye therefore called on federal government to deploy a joint security task force comprising the police, the army, the navy, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and other relevant agencies to secure the community, investigate the reported incidents, recover the stolen property, locate the missing worker and ensure that lawful mining activities resume safely.

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Community Head of Feru and head of the Falola family, Chief Ishola Adelemo, supported the appeal, describing the insecurity as a serious threat to residents and legitimate investment.

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He maintained that the land sold to Ibuoye was lawfully transferred with the necessary documentation, adding that the mining project had brought significant development to the once-isolated community, including the construction of a three-kilometre access road and the creation of employment opportunities for local youths.

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According to him, the road has allegedly been deliberately damaged on several occasions, severely affecting transportation, mining operations and other economic activities.

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He also alleged that many residents had fled the community because of repeated attacks.

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The acting leader of Feru Community also appealed for stronger federal security intervention, alleging that armed groups had terrorised residents, damaged infrastructure and disrupted farming and commercial activities. He said the prevailing insecurity had become so severe that the community had been unable to conduct the burial of its late traditional ruler.

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Representing the Odunfa family, Solomon Oloyede, echoed the call for increased security, stating that the violence had escalated beyond a land dispute into a broader public safety concern.

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He urged the authorities to investigate all allegations, prosecute anyone found culpable and guarantee the safety of residents.

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