"Environmentalists, groups protest acquisition of 14,000 hectares of land by Okomu Oil", 23 June 2017

Conservationists, environmentalists, farmers, rural communities dwellers and coalition of civil society groups in Edo State on Wednesday took to the streets of Benin City to protest an alleged refusal of the Okomu Oil Plc to vacate a 13,750 hectares of land spread across three local government areas of the state. Okomu Oil Plc acquired the land that cuts through Ovia North East, Uhunmwode and Owan West local government areas few years ago but the protesters are saying that the acquisition of the land was no longer following its revocation by the Edo State government in 2015...Spokesman for the protesters and Executive Director, Environmental Rights Action, Dr Godwin Uyi Ojo, alleged that Okomu Oil Plc has sustained the destruction of the forest despite the revocation order. He alleged that over 60,000 rural farmers have been displaced from their farmlands in the affected communities while others were currently facing eviction...Communication Officer of Okomu Oil Palm Plc, Mr Fidelis Olise, said there was no revocation order by the Edo State government against the firm...Mr Olise stated that the Federal Government has approved its Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) certificate, hence the company commenced operation in the new plantation...He explained that the EIA approval contained certain requirements that the company was mandated to perform in order to retain their EIA certificate and for the company to begin operation in the new plantation...[Mr. Olise] said the company was already complying by implementing all of the prescribed requirements of its EIA certificate...