The Ondo State Government has denied any involvement in the death of a 55-year-old farmer, Nwafor Romano, at Temidire-Rotimi Camp in the OA3 Forest Reserve, Odigbo Local Government Area.
Romano was reportedly found dead after an alleged confrontation involving officials of the Joint Task Force (JTF) and the state Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry on Wednesday, September 2, 2026.
However, a government source who was at the scene dismissed allegations linking the farmer’s death to the officials as “spurious”, insisting that the team was in the forest as part of a routine anti-encroachment exercise.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to address the media, said officials of the ministry and the JTF had gone to inspect activities allegedly being carried out by encroachers in the forest reserve.
According to him, the officials were prevented from accessing the forest after some encroachers blocked the road leading into the area and allegedly harassed members of the team.
He said a ministry driver was slapped several times during the confrontation.
The source explained that the Forestry Sub-sector of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry was legally mandated to protect and monitor forest reserves across the state, including conducting routine surveillance and anti-encroachment operations.
He said the September 2 operation was aimed at securing the forest reserve from what he described as illegal activities, including encroachment and cannabis cultivation.
“All Directors in the Ministry embarked on the routine exercise by visiting Temidire-Rotimi Camp in the OA3 Forest Reserve and SOL WOOD LIMITED in Odigbo Local Government Area,” he said.
The source alleged that some unregistered farmers, led by one Rotimi, had cleared portions of the forest to establish new cocoa farms.
He said such activities were contrary to the state’s agroforestry policy and could also affect compliance with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which regulates the entry of commodities linked to deforestation into the European market.
The source said the state government had introduced polygon mapping and agroforestry initiatives aimed at regenerating degraded forests while supporting farmers who comply with government policies.
On allegations surrounding Romano’s death, the source described the claims linking the incident to ministry officials as an attempt to discredit the forestry authorities and discourage them from carrying out their statutory responsibilities.
He further cited an affidavit allegedly sworn to at the Magistrate Court, Ore, with number ONDO/AFF/1784912026, by Nwafor Lilian Chisom, who identified herself as the deceased’s daughter.
According to the source, the affidavit stated that Romano died as a result of an accident.
He therefore questioned the basis for linking the farmer’s death to the ministry’s routine operation in the forest reserve.
The source maintained that the alleged encroachers, rather than government officials, prevented the team from carrying out its duties.
He warned that the ministry would not be intimidated by what he described as a smear campaign, insisting that it would continue to protect the state’s forest reserves.
“As a regulatory authority, the Ministry will not be discouraged nor deterred from its responsibilities, no matter the smear campaign launched against it,” he said.
