Abeokuta, Ogun State – The Ogun State Government has issued a strong warning to individuals illegally occupying government-owned agricultural lands, ordering them to vacate immediately or face prosecution.
The Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Bolu Owotomo, gave the directive in Abeokuta during a media briefing on Wednesday.
Owotomo stressed that the state government had made significant investments in agricultural projects and infrastructure aimed at boosting food security, creating jobs, and improving farmers’ livelihoods. He explained that lands reserved for agricultural programmes were being unlawfully encroached upon, posing a serious threat to the state’s development agenda.
“Unallocated farmlands are meant for specific agricultural programmes and must not be taken over unlawfully. Such encroachment undermines the government’s efforts and constitutes a criminal act,” Owotomo warned.
The commissioner added that the present administration would no longer tolerate lawlessness, assuring that defaulters would face legal action.
He reiterated the government’s commitment to making agriculture a key driver of economic transformation in the state by ensuring secure access to land, improved infrastructure, and support services for genuine farmers and investors.
Owotomo also called on stakeholders, including community leaders and residents, to assist the government in curbing land grabbing by reporting such cases in their communities.
“Protecting government agricultural land is crucial to the success of ongoing projects aimed at strengthening food security and reducing unemployment,” he stated