A Businessman and philanthropist, Tony Aduro, has denied the allegations of land grabbing made against him by some individuals in Okitipupa Local Council of Ondo State including as well as the Chairman of the council.

Aduro, who owns a vast expanse of farmland in the area, emphasised that he was being victimised due to his support for grassroots development, which he believes some people in the council oppose.

Protests erupted in the local council as members of the Hausa community rallied against an alleged eviction ordered by Aduro.

The conflict centres around a parcel of land at Plot LH 114, Oke-Oyinbo Road, in Okitipupa town.

In response to the protests by members of the Hausa community, the Chairman of Okitipupa Local Council, Andrew Ogunsakin, accused Aduro of unlawfully seizing the land and providing false information to the police, which led to his visit to Abuja to answer a police invitation.

Aduro, in a statement issued by his counsel, Brikani Mbeh, refuted the claims and called on the people of Okitipupa to unite against the abuse of power and support fairness and justice.

He clarified: “I am not a land grabber. I legally purchased this land from the original allottee, who was allocated the land by the Presidential Committee on Sale and Lease of Federal Government Properties.”

He maintained that the property had long been recognised as a Federal Government land.

Stating that when he and the workers went to the land, they met with thugs allegedly hired by Ogunsakin, who used dangerous weapons to chase them away, Aduro expressed his desire to create opportunities for the people, not take away from them.

He emphasised the need to set the record straight about the ongoing legal matter while pursuing justice through appropriate legal channels.

Despite the challenges, he remained hopeful that truth would prevail.

Aduro, who disclosed his commitment to developing the people of Ikale, despite being an Ilaje man, listed several projects he initiated in the community, including solar-powered community borehole water projects, an ultra-modern community library, a science laboratory and a computer laboratory.

He also mentioned health centres/medical buildings valued at N65 million, as well as investments in Aduro farms totalling over N2.5 billion aimed at creating jobs and economic opportunities for the community.