Court restrains Ondo Govt. from evicting farmers in Oluwa Forest Reserve

The Ondo State High Court in Ore, on Monday, granted an interlocutory injunction, restraining the Ondo State Government and Sao Agro-Allied Services Ltd. from forceful eviction of farmers in the Oluwa Forest Reserve.
The farmers had approached the court to restrict the state government and the company from evicting them from the forest which they described as source of their livelihood for decades.
Justice Aderemi Adegoroye, who gave the order, also restricted the government and the company from further grading or destroying farmlands within the forest, particularly in areas such as Temidire Adeleye, Itamerin, Ikawo, Ijoba, Ayeleso, Isero, and their sub-camps.
Adegoroye emphasized the necessity of preserving the economic trees: cocoa, kola nut, and palm trees that constituted the farmers’ livelihoods, pending the final determination of the case before it.
This order effectively countered a previous order from a Customary Court in the state that had mandated the farmers’ eviction from the 10,000-hectare reserve in Odigbo Local Government Area of the state.
The judge adjourned the case to May 26, 2025 for further proceedings.
Responding, Mr Tope Temokun, the applicants’ counsel, said that the development reaffirmed the judiciary’s commitment to upholding the rights of the farmers amidst conflicting legal directives.