Hundreds of women from the Ilaje community in Lagos State have threatened to embark on nude demonstrations to resist what they described as the persistent destruction of their ancestral settlements.
Defying heavy rainfall on Tuesday, protesters under the banner of Egbe Omo Ilaje marched to the Lagos State House of Assembly in Alausa, Ikeja, demanding urgent intervention from Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Speaker Mudashiru Obasa.
The protesters, who carried placards, accused some traditional rulers in the state of acting as “land grabbers” and masterminding the demolition of Ilaje communities.
One of the elderly demonstrators, who identified herself as Ifagbemi, vowed that she and other women were prepared to storm the palaces of the monarchs involved if the government failed to take action.
“We are the original settlers of Lagos. Our ancestors moved from Ilaje to Ebute-Ero, formerly called Olobun. If the government refuses to meet our demands, we will strip ourselves and storm the palaces of these monarchs. We want peace, and we want justice,” she declared.
Speaking at the protest, the President-General of Egbe Omo Ilaje Worldwide, Rafael Irowainu, accused some monarchs of exploiting the name of President Bola Tinubu to justify unlawful demolitions.
“Some royal fathers have abandoned their duty of upholding justice and turned themselves into land grabbers. They falsely claim that President Tinubu sent them, but we know he did not. These actions are fraudulent and lawless,” he said.
Irowainu further alleged that some of the monarchs fueling the crisis were not even indigenes of Lagos but hailed from Osun and Ekiti states.
“None of these monarchs built Lagos. Yet, they oppress us because of political advantage. How can a king demolish people’s homes without legal authority? We are the true indigenes of Lagos. These demolitions without court orders will only worsen insecurity and homelessness,” he warned, urging compensation for affected families.
Another protester, Wole Adewusi, lamented the hardship caused by the demolitions.
“Our wives and children are suffering. We are appealing to Governor Sanwo-Olu to rescue us from these so-called Obas who have turned into land grabbers,” he said.
Also addressing the crowd, the Lagos State Chairman of Egbe Omo Ilaje, Prince Oluwajimusu, condemned what he described as a deliberate attempt to erase Ilaje heritage.
“You cannot write the history of Lagos without mentioning Ilaje as one of the first settlers. What is happening is unjust to our people. We will not continue to live as slaves in our own land. By 2027, we will decide our political future,” he warned.
The protesters called on the Lagos State Government to halt the demolitions, investigate the role of traditional rulers in the crisis, and provide justice and compensation for displaced families.
