Women from the Ilaje community in Lagos have warned that they may stage nude protests over what they describe as the ongoing demolition of their ancestral homes.
Despite a downpour on Tuesday, the 19th of August, 2025, large crowds under the umbrella of Egbe Omo Ilaje marched to the Lagos State House of Assembly in Alausa, Ikeja, urging Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Speaker Mudashiru Obasa to step in without delay.
With placards in hand, the demonstrators accused certain traditional rulers of working as “land grabbers” and masterminding the demolition of Ilaje settlements.
Among the protesters was an elderly woman, Ifagbemi, who said she and others were ready to take the fight further if the state government failed to act.
She declared, “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.”
The President-General of Egbe Omo Ilaje Worldwide, Rafael Irowainu, also accused some monarchs of hiding behind President Bola Tinubu’s name to carry out illegal demolitions.
In his words, “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 further alleged that some of the monarchs instigating the crisis were outsiders from Osun and Ekiti states.
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“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. We are Yoruba, not strangers.
“These demolitions without court orders will only worsen insecurity and homelessness,” he warned, demanding compensation for displaced families.
Another demonstrator, Wole Adewusi, bemoaned 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.
The Lagos State Chairman of Egbe Omo Ilaje, Prince Oluwajimusu, also weighed in, describing the demolitions as a calculated attempt to erase Ilaje heritage.
He stated, “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.”