The family of late Nwafor Romanus has demanded an independent investigation into his death following an alleged assault during an operation by personnel of the Ondo State Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry at the Oluwa Forest Reserve.
The family’s counsel, Tope Temokun Chambers, made the demand in a letter dated September 8, 2026, addressed to the Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
Recall that Romanus, a farmer and resident of the Oluwa Forest Reserve in Odigbo Local Government Area, reportedly died on September 3, a day after the alleged confrontation at the forest reserve.
According to the lawyers, the September 2 operation involved officials and field agents of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry alongside armed law enforcement personnel and uniformed soldiers.
The petition alleged that the operation resulted in physical assaults, harassment and injuries to several farmers and occupiers in the OA3A camps and sub-camps of the reserve.
Among those allegedly assaulted were the farmers’ secretary, Odugbemi Isiaq, as well as Sunday Adadenu, Ogunsanmi Oladapo and Ogunbiyi Tope.
The lawyers further alleged that Romanus was subjected to severe physical assault during the operation and subsequently collapsed at the scene.
They said his condition deteriorated overnight before he was taken to the General Hospital, Ore, where he died in the early hours of September 3.
The petitioners are now challenging the account contained in an earlier statement by the Forestry Sub-sector of the Ondo State Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, which acknowledged that the ministry authorised and conducted the operation but, according to the lawyers, relied on an affidavit describing Romanus’ death as an “accident”.
In a fresh affidavit sworn at the Ondo State High Court Registry in Akure on September 7, Romanus’ daughter, Nwafor Lilian Chisom, formally retracted the earlier description of her father’s death as an accident.
Chisom stated that she had earlier sworn to an Affidavit of Death with ID ONDOJAFF/178491/2026 on September 3, following her father’s death at the General Hospital, Ore.
She said the earlier affidavit stated that her father died “as a result of accident”.
However, Chisom said she was not present at Temidire Camp, OA3A, Oluwa Forest Reserve, when her father was allegedly attacked on September 2.
According to her, she only rushed to attend to him in the early hours of September 3 after his condition became critical.
She further alleged that when she went to the court registry in a state of shock and grief, registry personnel insisted that “accident” was the standard description routinely used for such death affidavits.
Chisom said she relied on the instruction in her distressed state without realising that the description omitted the circumstances surrounding her father’s alleged assault.
She stated that she was subsequently briefed by eyewitnesses, including Oladejo Kazeem, who allegedly witnessed the incident at the forest reserve.
Chisom also said she had read and adopted the contents of a separate affidavit sworn by Oladejo Akeem on September 4, which she said detailed the alleged assault and events preceding her father’s death.
She therefore formally withdrew the use of the word “accident” in the earlier affidavit.
“I hereby formally and categorically retract the word ‘accident’ as contained in Paragraph 3 of my affidavit dated 3rd September, 2026, as it does not reflect the true circumstances of my father’s death,” she stated.
She said the new affidavit was intended to correct the record for legal, medical and investigative purposes.
Chisom further alleged that the earlier affidavit had been relied upon by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to deny its alleged involvement in the incident.
Temokun Chambers said the conflicting accounts surrounding Romanus’ death required direct executive intervention by the Ondo State Government.
The lawyers called on Governor Aiyedatiwa to constitute an independent executive commission of inquiry to examine the ministry’s operational mandate, rules of engagement and the conduct of its personnel during the September 2 operation.
They also requested the immediate administrative suspension of personnel allegedly involved in the operation pending the outcome of the investigation.
The petition identified the personnel as Taye Alabora, Segun, Kbanty, Ojifini, Kehinde, Mr Abbey and Obadun.
The lawyers said their temporary removal from field operations was necessary to prevent possible interference with witnesses or administrative records.
They also asked the governor to direct the Commissioner for Agriculture and Forestry to produce all operational orders, deployment logs, authorisation documents and situational reports connected to the operation.
Another demand was for an administrative investigation into how the earlier affidavit, identified as ONDOJAFF/178491/2026, was obtained and subsequently used by the ministry before the conclusion of the police investigation.
The lawyers further called for independent medical examination of Romanus’ body and an assessment of injuries allegedly suffered by other farmers during the operation.
They requested interim medical assistance and administrative relief for injured farmers and support for Romanus’ family pending the conclusion of the investigation.
They also urged the Ondo State Ministry of Justice to review the findings of any inquiry and prosecute any official or agent found to have acted outside the law or administrative authority.
The lawyers stressed that any investigation should go beyond establishing the immediate medical cause of Romanus’ death.
They said the inquiry should also examine the legality of the operation, the conduct of personnel deployed to the forest reserve and the level of administrative oversight exercised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
The family and affected farmers, according to the petition, are seeking justice, fairness and accountability over the alleged treatment meted out to them during the operation.
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