By Lovely Eseoghene Onohwakpor
Ilaje Women Threaten Nude Protest Over Demolition of Ancestral Homes in Lagos
Hundreds of Ilaje indigeneso on Tuesday stormed the Lagos State House of Assembly, protesting alleged illegal demolition of their homes and land grabbing by traditional rulers. Women in the group threatened to stage nude protests if urgent action was not taken.
Braving heavy rainfall, members of Egbe Omo Ilaje Worldwide gathered at the Lagos State House of Assembly Complex in Alausa, Ikeja, demanding immediate intervention from Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Speaker Mudashiru Obasa.
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The demonstrators accused unnamed traditional rulers of forcefully taking over Ilaje settlements and demolishing homes under the guise of development. They claimed the actions were being carried out without court orders and often justified using the name of President Bola Tinubu.
One elderly protester, Madam Ifagbemi, issued a strong warning during the protest, saying Ilaje women were prepared to demonstrate nude if the state failed to protect their ancestral land.
“We are the founders of Lagos. If the government refuses to act, we will storm the palaces of these monarchs nude,” she said.
Egbe Omo Ilaje Worldwide President-General, Rafael Irowainu, condemned the alleged actions of the monarchs, accusing them of abusing their positions for personal gain.
“Some of these Obas are not even from Lagos; they are from Osun and Ekiti. Now they are using the President’s name to carry out fraudulent demolitions. This is nothing short of oppression,” he said.
Irowainu added that displacing residents without legal backing poses a threat to security, claiming it increases homelessness and criminal activity.
“How do you expect peace when you destroy people’s homes with no compensation and no legal process? The governor must act swiftly to halt these injustices,” he added.
Wole Adewusi, another protester, painted a bleak picture of the impact on affected families:
“Our wives and children are sleeping in the open. Homes are being demolished, and landlords are now homeless. This is a humanitarian crisis.”
The Lagos State Chairman of Egbe Omo Ilaje, Prince Oluwajimusu, echoed similar concerns, saying the Ilaje community has been instrumental in the history of Lagos and deserves fair treatment.
“There is no Lagos history without Ilaje. If this injustice continues, we will make our voices heard in 2027. We are not second-class citizens,” he warned.
The protest follows recent tensions over the renaming of Ilaje Street in Bariga, which the group claims is part of a broader effort to erase their identity and historical contributions to Lagos.
