Extortion: Community dissociates self from allegation on govt officials

By Kehinde Oluwatayo
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The people of Daada community in Akure North Local Government area of Ondo State have dissociated themselves from a media report that the state government and its officials are  extorting money from the people of the community.

Speaking with newsmen, the Asoju Oba of Daada, Hon Chief Femi Balogun said the report did not represent the interest of the people of the community and promised to fish out the perpetrators to serve as deterrent to others.

     The perpetrators were believed to have masterminded the attack on government officials who were in the community to collect the annual revenue from farmers in the forest reserve and vandalise their vehicle.

     But Chief Balogun who said investigation is still ongoing assured that the perpetrators would be fished out and handed over to government for appropriate sanction.

The community leader said he was presiding over a community case on the fateful day when some people were protesting with leaves in their hands but he didn’t know why adding that he expected some of them to tell him what happened but nobody came.

  Chief Balogun added that when he was informed that a journalist was invited by one Semiu Ayinde, he sent a message to the journalist not to go without seeing him, but they told him that he said he was in a hurry and left without seeing him.

    He said he was surprised when he later heard in the news that there was problem in the community which he was not aware of, adding that he believed that if any journalist should come for such assignment, he should ask of the head of the community.

“I was also informed that government officials who came tocollect the statutory revenue from farmers in the forest reserve were attacked, their vehicle vandalised the and the driver beaten”.

He said further that he immediately informed the Divisional Police Officer adding that things would have gone out of control but for the intervention of the DPO.

  Chief Balogun who stressed that the hoodlums did not represent the interest of the people of Daada, noted that the revenue the government officials came to collect is not illegal and that it was an agreement between the farmers and the state government.

While noting that the government of Arakunrin has been good to the people of the community, Balogun said that forest guard officials used to disturb them, extorting money from them and so on.

“And when Governor Akeredolu came on board he stopped all that and said we should pay a stipend to government. So we don’t know where these people came from because many people come here to work because of the timber business here but we are still investigating and as soon as we are through, we will hand them over to government for appropriate sanction”, he assured.

   Also speaking, Mayegun of Daada who is also the Olori Alejo i.e the leader of strangers in the community said the fee was agreed upon by the people adding that government initially put it at #20,000 per annum but they pleaded and the government agreed that they should pay#10,000 saying that, that was what the officials came to collect.

 The Youth Leader, Mr Oluwadare Jimoh who exonorated the youth of the community said the hoodlums came from outside adding that investigation is ongoing to fish out the perpetrators.

The Olisa of Daada community, Chief Oladunjoye Ige said he was at home when he heard a gunshot and that when he came out, he saw a crowd, government vehicles vandalised and the driver beaten.

He said the people involved were strangers who came to work in the community.

While saying that the community are happy with what government is doing, he said they are not representing the interest of the community.

The community leader however assured that the community will pay the hospital bill of the driver who has been hospitalized and repair the damaged vehicles.

Some hoodlums had attacked government officials in the community and also spoke against government and described the statutory fee being collected by government as illegal.