The former Nigerian Ambassador to Zambia/Malawi, and one of the leading personalities advocating for good governance and women involvement in Nigeria politics, Mrs Folake-Marcus-Bello has lost farm products running into millions of naira, as a result of the inferno which gutted her farmland located in Onipepeye axis of Obafemi-Owode local government area of Ogun State.

FocusNigeria confirmed from the Ex- Ambassador that the fire incident occurred at the early hours of Tuesday, and ravaged the 10 hectares of the farmland known as Folake B Farm, destroying over 500 palm oil trees among other farm products.

According to an eyewitness who spoke with our correspondent about the source of the fire at the farmland located along Siun-Sagamu-Abeokuta expressway said no one knows the genesis of the ugly incident.

Focusnigeria said that according to journalists that visited the scene of the fire incident, said that the farmland was badly destroyed, while different sources attributed the cause to some hunters who might have put fire in the neighbouring bush while trying to kill animals known as bush meat, another source has it that it maybe deliberate handiwork of some unscrupulous elements.

Responding to questions from Journalists, the manager of the farmland, Mrs Adesola Adebayo, while conducting journalists round the farmland after the incident that lasted for hours said she got a phone call from the villagers at about 4.30pm, informing her about the fire, and had to rush down to the scene.

She further said that the situation was beyond control because when she arrived, she and other villagers were helpless on the volume of the fire, which was spreading uncontrollably, adding that the weather condition contributed to the fast spread of the fire which caused serious damages.

‘I am the farmland manager, I got information at about 4,30pm from the villagers informing me that the farm is on fire, and had to rush down. On getting to the farmland, the fire was spreading fast, and we became helpless because of the volume of the spread’, she said

‘I don’t know the cause of the fire, but maybe it was caused by hunters looking for bush meat, who might have put fire on the bush to track the animals. One cannot also rule out activities of some unscrupulous elements who may deliberately set the farmland on fire. The harmattan further worsened the situation’, Adebayo stated

When our reporter reached out to the former Commissioner for Women Affairs in Ogun state who said that the incident was indeed a sad development, adding that she is yet to get out of the shock as she stressed that she has committed millions of naira to the farmland.

Her Excellency, Mrs Folake Marcus Bello, who is also a legal practitioner lamented the huge loss, posited that the farm is already ripe for harvesting when fire consumed the farmland.

"This is disturbing and worrisome. I am short of words, and it was difficult to believe, just as we are looking forward for harvest, the inferno caused havoc destroying millions of naira farm products. The larger part of the 10 hectares of the farmland has been consumed’, Marcus-Bello emphasized.

In Conclusion, Mrs Bello said she is optimistic that the Lord will replenish what she had lost as she has not come out of the shock caused by the fire incident.

Whenever I see "Ogun state" on any nairaland headline I will jejely wait for the bad news that will follow.

This is a big case of ikegwuru