Tensions are rising in Lagos State as women from the Ilaje community have threatened to stage a nude protest following the continued demolition of their ancestral homes.
On Tuesday, under heavy rainfall, hundreds of 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.
Carrying placards, the protesters accused some traditional rulers of acting as land grabbers, allegedly masterminding the destruction of Ilaje settlements. An elderly protester, Ifagbemi, warned that women would strip naked and storm monarchs’ palaces if the government failed to act, declaring: “We are the founders of Lagos. If our homes are not protected, we will take to nude protest as the last resort.”
The President-General of Egbe Omo Ilaje Worldwide, Rafael Irowainu, accused certain monarchs of hiding under the name of President Bola Tinubu to justify the unlawful demolitions.
The protesters insist that the Lagos government must protect their ancestral rights and stop what they described as “illegal land seizures.” The planned nude protest, if carried out, could further escalate tensions and force government intervention.
