Nigeria: Tales of Grabland

A documentary from “Land Justice for West Africa” shows how Ogoni communities, already affected severely by the oil industry in the Niger delta, are now losing their territories for a banana plantation. Despite opposition from thousands of small farmers, the Rivers State Government plans to appropriate over 2,000 hectares of ancestral farmlands of Ogoni communities to hand over to a private company registered in Mexico for the development of a commercial banana plantation. This is a prominent example of property speculation via so-called public-private partnerships (PPP), leading to displacement of populations. Social and economic hardship, human rights abuses, including killings by state agents, and a general condition of insecurity have been consequences of the forced eviction. Affected communities fear that land grabs will have adverse impacts on local food production and livelihoods. See full documentary at: http://landjustice4wa.org/tales-of-grabland/#more-1572