This story was originally published by iWatch Africa, and a shorter version is republished on Global Voices as part of a content-sharing partnership agreement. A six-month investigation conducted by Gideon Sarpong, Elfredah Kevin-Alerechi, and Audrey Travère has brought to light the significant impact of Socfin Group‘s rubber and palm oil resource exploitation on deforestation and the forced displacement of Indigenous populations in Nigeria and Ghana. Socfin Group, also known as the Société Financière des Caoutchoucs, is a Luxembourg-based company engaged in oil palm and rubber plantation operations and the marketing of oil palm seeds in Asia and Africa. In 2021, the company reported a remarkable profit of 80.4 million euros (USD 86.2 million), marking its highest earnings since at least 2014, driven by rising palm oil and rubber prices. However, paradoxically, the Okumu community and other host communities in Nigeria and Ghana present a stark contrast to the prosperity associated with Socfin's substantial export earnings. Okumu Oil Palm Company, a subsidiary of Socfin Group located in Okumu, Nigeria, operates an extensive 7,335 ha (18,125 ac) rubber plantation and a sprawling 19,062 ha (47,103 ac) oil palm plantation within the Ovia South-West local government area of Edo State. The company's presence there has become a contentious issue, particularly for the Indigenous people, who have been displaced because of the company's activities. According to the research findings, residents of Okumu have accused the Okumu Oil Palm Company of forcibly dismantling three villages within the district, namely Lemon, Agbeda, and Oweike. After the eviction of these three communities about 18 years ago, the company proceeded to expand its palm and rubber plantations, acquiring a staggering 1,969 ha (4,865.5 ac) of oil palm and 1,811 ha (4,475 ac) of rubber in the process. The activities of the Okumu Palm Company not only led to the forced relocation of hundreds of Indigenous residents but also resulted in the dire consequences of farmland destruction, loss of life, and the disruption of children's education within the affected community. Austin Lemon, now 33, whose father was the founder of Lemon Village in 1969, witnessed the pleas of his parents and fellow Lemon villagers. He ruefully reflects, “The company planted their plantation without heeding to their pleas.” The consequences were catastrophic — every single house in Lemon met its demise, and the once-thriving areas reserved for the cultivation of plantain, cassava, cocoa, and cocoyam were reduced to ruins. He added, For a whole year, I couldn’t attend school because we were displaced and struggling to make ends meet. It was the company’s actions that ultimately led to the death of my father, who had high blood pressure. He perished because the farms he once relied upon to feed his 32 children were also obliterated. The company denied the research findings. According to Socfin's communications team, the company acquired the plantation following the de-reservation of a portion of Okomu Forest Reserve by Nigeria's federal government, in compliance with the Edo Forestry Commission Law (1968) and its subsequent amendments, among other relevant legislation. Ajele Sunday, a spokesperson for the Okumu community, said the community “never received any compensation” when Socfin claimed to have procured the land from the government. Multiple sources within the Okomu village have raised concerns, contending that the company conducted negotiations with the government without seeking or taking into consideration the community's perspective. This apparent lack of consultation with the community “directly contradicts the principles outlined in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, particularly the concept of Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC),” Sunday argued. This breach raises critical concerns about the treatment of Indigenous communities and their rights in the context of corporate activities, highlighting the urgent need to adhere to these vital principles. According to FPIC, Indigenous peoples possess the right to grant or withhold consent for projects that stand to impact them or their territories. The research conducted by Sarpong, Kevin-Alerechi, and Travère also revealed that in Ghana, the operations of Plantation Socfinaf Ghana (PSG), a subsidiary of the Socfin Group which operates rubber and oil palm plantations in Manso and Daboase in the Western Region of Ghana has led to the destruction of vital rainforests. The researchers found that in 2017 and 2018, PSG contracted Proforest and HS+E, respectively, to conduct environmental assessments at its Subri site in Daboase ahead of the construction of a palm processing mill in 2019.