Women from the Ilaje community in Lagos State have threatened to stage nude protests over what they described as the continuous destruction of their ancestral homes.
Hundreds of protesters under the aegis of Egbe Omo Ilaje stormed the Lagos State House of Assembly Complex, Alausa, Ikeja, on Tuesday, despite heavy rainfall, demanding urgent intervention from Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Speaker of the House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa.
Holding placards, the protesters accused some traditional rulers in the state of turning into “land grabbers” and masterminding the demolition of Ilaje settlements.
An elderly protester, who gave her name as Ifagbemi, vowed that she and other women would stage a nude demonstration to compel monarchs and others to let the Ilaje people live peacefully in their communities.
She said, “We are the founders of Lagos. We hailed from Ilaje before settling in Ebute-Ero, which was then known as Olobun. Should the government fail to meet our demands, we, women, will organise a nude protest and storm the palace of these monarchs. We want the government to come to our aid.”
The President-General of Egbe Omo Ilaje Worldwide, Rafael Irowainu, also alleged that some monarchs in the state were hiding under the name of President Bola Tinubu to justify the unlawful destruction of people’s homes.
“We have come here today to report some royal fathers who have turned themselves into land grabbers. I’ve never seen anywhere else where royal fathers become lawless, except in Nigeria.
“They claim President Tinubu sent them, but I assure you he did not. They are only using his name to carry out fraudulent activities,” he said.
Irowainu further alleged that some monarchs involved are not indigenes of Lagos but hail from Osun and Ekiti states.
“None of these monarchs created Lagos. They suppress us because of their political advantage. How will a king, who is supposed to uphold justice, just wake up one day and demolish people’s homes?
“We are here to vent our grievances and submit our petition to the governor and the Speaker. We are the bona fide indigenes of Lagos. We are Yoruba, not aliens in this state.”
He warned that demolitions without legal backing would only worsen insecurity in the state.
“When you chase people out of their ancestral homes without any court order, you are creating more criminals.
“The governor should tell the Obas to desist from selling our lands. We want everyone whose houses and properties were destroyed to be compensated,” said Irowainu.
Another protester, Wole Adewusi, said, “We are calling on Sanwo-Olu to save our souls. Some Lagos Obas have turned themselves into land grabbers. Houses are being demolished, properties burnt, and landlords rendered homeless. Our wives and children are suffering.”
Similarly, the Lagos State Chairman of Egbe Omo Ilaje, Prince Oluwajimusu, also condemned the alleged injustice.
He noted, “There is no way you will write the history of Lagos without mentioning Ilaje as one of the first settlers. What is happening is unethical and unjust to the entire Ilaje nation. We will decide our fate in 2027. We are not slaves.”
The protest comes weeks after the group raised concerns over the renaming of Ilaje Street in Bariga after music legend King Sunny Ade, which they described as another attempt to erase their heritage.
