Farmers protest possible eviction as Osun plans mining

Farmers in the Ago-Owu settlement of Osun State are protesting what they fear may become a large-scale displacement, following the state government’s plan to explore possible mineral deposits on their farmland.

Governor Ademola Adeleke said that no eviction is currently being planned.

The protest follows the appearance of officials conducting soil tests and mapping exercises in the area – activities that farmers interpret as early signs of future mining operations. With a population of over 24,000, according to Punch, the settlers, mostly unemployed graduates and retirees who depend solely on agriculture, say they feel vulnerable to losing everything.

While responding to the farmers’ outcry in a statement on Thursday, Gov. Adeleke, through his spokesperson Olawale Rasheed, assured residents that there is “no plan or plot to evict them for mining activities.”

He said the observed activity is part of a state-wide mineral mapping and soil testing initiative to survey Osun’s natural resources. “We encourage cooperation with state officials especially as there is no approved mining activity in the areas of protest,” the statement read.

The farmers point to a letter signed by the state government’s Special Adviser on Mining and Minerals, Lukman Jimod, which reportedly granted a private company permission to explore mineral potential within the settlement.

It is not clear what minerals the company is prospecting for. Osun is rich in gold and other solid minerals.

“Introducing mining on a fully developed farm settlement amounts to forceful ejection,” said Adebanji Obembe, president of the Ago-Owu Farm Settlers Association, according to Punch. “This is our only source of livelihood. Many of us—youths and elderly—will have nowhere else to go.”

The governor’s statement offers temporary relief, but does little to dispel what many believe is a future mining plan once commercially viable minerals are discovered. In fact, the government admits that the mineral mapping is part of its efforts to “consolidate exploited or unexploited resources” in the state.

Osun, like several Nigerian states, is under pressure to diversify its economy and tap into solid minerals as an alternative revenue source. But across Nigeria, mining ventures have frequently collided with the interests of local farming communities, raising concerns over land rights, environmental damage, and inadequate compensation.

In Ago-Owu, settlers say they hold a 99-year agreement with the government allowing them to farm the land—a deal they now believe is at risk of being dishonoured.

While state officials promise that any future mining would involve consultation and compensation, residents say they want one thing only: for their farmland to remain untouched.

“What we want is protection, not compensation,” Obembe said. “You can’t pay us for land that feeds our families.”