Ogun Family, Government Clash Over Alleged Reallocation of 11-Acre Poultry Farm to Chinese Investor

The Busari family and Ogun State Government have given conflicting accounts over the reallocation of land housing Constancy Farms.

The children of the late Alhaji Ganiyu Busari and the management of Constancy Farms in Fere Village, Jibowu, Obafemi/Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, have appealed to Governor Dapo Abiodun and President Bola Tinubu to intervene in a dispute over an 11-acre poultry farm.

The family alleged that the Ogun State Government was attempting to reallocate the land housing their farm to a Chinese-owned company, a development they said had subjected them and their workers to threats and intimidation.

They also alleged that attempts to remove them from the property had resulted in damage to parts of the farm and losses to their poultry business.

However, the Ogun State Government disputed the family’s account, saying the reallocation of the land was lawful.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Information and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, said the family’s acquisition of the land had been revoked because they allegedly failed to pay the required assessment fee within the stipulated period.

Akinmade said the government was legally empowered to revoke the acquisition under such circumstances and reallocate the land to another investor willing to meet the required financial obligations.

“The truth is that the land was acquired by this family some years back, but they failed to pay up the acquisition fees that the government asked them to pay within the stipulated time,” Akinmade said.

He added that the new investor had, as part of what he described as a gesture of goodwill, constructed a new poultry pen for the family on the reallocated land.

According to him, the family had refused to relocate and instead resorted to the media to criticise the government.

Family Disputes Government’s Account

Speaking to journalists on Thursday, one of the late Busari’s children, Azeez Busari, alleged that officials of the state government and representatives of the Chinese company had been pressuring the family to vacate the property.

Busari maintained that the family possessed documents relating to the acquisition of the land and had commenced payment of the assessed fees.

He said the dispute dated back to 2023, when representatives of the Chinese company approached the family over a request for four acres and an additional plot of land to create an access route to another parcel of about 40 acres owned by the company.

According to Busari, the family agreed to release the requested portion, leaving approximately 11 acres for the poultry farm.

He alleged that in 2025, the Ogun State Surveyor-General, Oladele Ewulo, informed the family that the remaining land had been reallocated to the Chinese company and that they were expected to vacate the property.

“We asked him if the government now does double allocation, but he said nothing,” Busari alleged.

He further said the family had documents relating to the land assessment that were duly signed by the state government and that payments had already commenced.

Busari said the family subsequently requested official documents confirming the alleged reallocation but had not received them.

He also alleged that some individuals demolished part of the farm’s perimeter fence earlier in 2026.

Family Says Farm Is Worth Over N1bn

According to Busari, the poultry business represents an investment of more than N1 billion and has facilities capable of accommodating about 27,000 laying birds and a 10,000-capacity rearing pen.

He said the farm provides direct and indirect employment to several people and represents a major family investment built over time.

“It’s our father’s legacy, it’s a community to us, and we don’t have anything else that we can do apart from this poultry business,” Busari said.

He questioned the alleged decision to favour a foreign investor over a local agricultural business, particularly because the Chinese company was also involved in poultry production.

“How can the same government that claims to be encouraging us to go into agriculture be backing foreign investors to undermine local investors and send us packing for no just cause?” he asked.

Busari appealed to Governor Abiodun and President Tinubu to intervene, saying much of the family’s investment had been financed through loans and that losing the farm could have significant financial consequences.

Another family member, Olatunji Busari, also appealed to the state government to allow the family to continue operating the farm.

“We don’t want any re-allocation. We don’t want anything that will destroy our business,” he said.

He described the farm as a family legacy that had been developed with borrowed funds and appealed to Governor Abiodun to intervene.

The dispute remains centred on the validity of the family’s land acquisition, the payment of assessed fees and the circumstances surrounding the government’s decision to reallocate the property. The two sides have presented conflicting accounts of the matter.

About 40 Feared Dead as Boat Carrying Rice Farmers Capsizes in Sokoto

About 40 people are feared dead after a boat carrying farmers to their rice farms capsized in Gorau town, Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

The incident reportedly occurred while the passengers were crossing a stream to reach their farms, with many of those on board said to be children between the ages of 10 and 15.

An eyewitness said more than 70 people were travelling on the boat when it capsized shortly after leaving the riverbank.

A local journalist at the scene, Sharhabilu Yahuza Kiliya, said about 40 bodies had been recovered from the water, while six people, including the village head, were rescued.

According to him, the passengers comprised farm owners and labourers who were travelling to the rice farms for harvesting activities.

The scale of the incident has raised concerns over the safety of water transportation in rural communities, particularly during farming seasons when large numbers of residents rely on boats to reach their farms.

Local divers and other community members are currently conducting rescue operations in the area as they search for people still missing.

The divers are also continuing efforts to recover bodies from the water.

The exact number of people who were on board and the final death toll remain unclear as rescue operations are ongoing.

Authorities are yet to issue a comprehensive official statement confirming the number of casualties.

Sowore Blasts NDLEA Over Cannabis Farm Destruction, Demands Legalisation and Regulation

Human rights activist and African Action Congress presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has criticised the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) over the destruction of cannabis farms in Edo State, describing the action as a waste of economic opportunities amid Nigeria’s worsening poverty.

Sowore made his position known in a post on X on Tuesday, where he condemned the agency for destroying what he described as economically viable crops worth millions of dollars.

“It is idiotic @ndlea_nigeria wake up, put on uniforms, march into farms, and set economically viable crops worth millions of dollars ablaze while your country is drowning in multidimensional poverty,” Sowore wrote.

He called on the NDLEA to stop destroying cannabis farms and criticised what he described as a failed and outdated approach to cannabis control in Nigeria.

“Stop destroying cannabis farms. Stop wasting enormous economic opportunities in the name of a failed and outdated policy,” he said.

Sowore argued that Nigeria should instead legalise and properly regulate cannabis cultivation and its legitimate uses, saying the country could develop an industry capable of creating jobs and generating government revenue.

He also called for greater investment in research to explore the medicinal and industrial applications of cannabis.

“Legalize and properly regulate cannabis. Invest in research, harness its legitimate medicinal and industrial potential, create jobs, generate revenue, and build an industry Nigerians can benefit from,” he said.

The AAC presidential candidate concluded his message with a strong criticism of the government’s approach, declaring: “You cannot burn your way out of poverty, foolish people!”

Sowore’s comments followed reports of cannabis farm destruction by the NDLEA in Edo State. The agency has continued to conduct operations against cannabis cultivation and other illicit drug activities as part of its mandate to combat drug trafficking and abuse.

The NDLEA has maintained that cannabis cultivation and trafficking remain illegal under Nigeria’s current drug laws, while the agency continues to destroy illicit plantations and arrest suspected drug traffickers.

Sowore’s latest comments have therefore reignited the debate over Nigeria’s cannabis policy, particularly whether the country should continue with the prohibition and destruction of cannabis plantations or consider a regulated legal framework for medicinal, industrial and economic purposes.

His position is also consistent with his broader advocacy for changes to Nigeria’s drug policy and his argument that the country should explore economic opportunities from industries currently operating outside the legal framework.