Ilaje Women Protest Lagos Land Demolitions, Demand Urgent Justice and Government Intervention 247
Ilaje Women Protest Ancestral Land Demolitions
Ilaje women protest in Lagos State has escalated as members of the community threaten a nude demonstration over the ongoing demolition of their ancestral settlements.Women from the Ilaje community in Lagos State have threatened to stage a nude protest over the ongoing destruction of their ancestral settlements.
Hundreds of protesters under the Egbe Omo Ilaje banner marched to the Lagos State House of Assembly in Alausa, Ikeja, on Tuesday, August 19, calling on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Speaker Mudashiru Obasa to intervene.
The protesters accused some traditional rulers of acting as “land grabbers,” orchestrating unlawful demolitions in Ilaje communities.
An elderly protester, Ifagbemi, warned:
“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.”
Rafael Irowainu, President-General of Egbe Omo Ilaje Worldwide, alleged that some monarchs were exploiting President Bola Tinubu’s name to justify the 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 also claimed several of the monarchs were not Lagos indigenes but from Osun and Ekiti states, adding:
“None of these monarchs built Lagos. Yet, they oppress us for 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.”
Protester Wole Adewusi highlighted the human cost:
“Our wives and children are suffering. We appeal to Governor Sanwo-Olu to rescue us from these so-called Obas who have turned into land grabbers.”
Lagos State Chairman of Egbe Omo Ilaje, Prince Oluwajimusu, condemned the erasure of Ilaje heritage:
“You cannot write the history of Lagos without mentioning Ilaje as one of the first settlers. What is happening is unjust. We will not continue to live as slaves in our own land. By 2027, we will decide our political future.”
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On Tuesday, August 19, hundreds of protesters under the Egbe Omo Ilaje banner marched to the Lagos State House of Assembly in Alausa, Ikeja. They appealed to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Speaker Mudashiru Obasa to intervene, warning that failure to act could spark more drastic demonstrations.
The protesters accused some traditional rulers in Lagos of acting as “land grabbers,” orchestrating the demolition of Ilaje communities under the guise of urban development.
An elderly protester, Ifagbemi, declared the women were prepared to take extreme action if their grievances were ignored:
“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.”
Rafael Irowainu, President-General of Egbe Omo Ilaje Worldwide, accused some monarchs of misusing the name of President Bola Tinubu to justify illegal 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 further alleged that several of the monarchs fueling the crisis were not Lagos indigenes but hailed from Osun and Ekiti states:
“None of these monarchs built Lagos. Yet, they oppress us for 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.”
The protests also highlighted the human cost of these demolitions. Wole Adewusi, one of the demonstrators, noted the hardships faced by families who have lost homes and livelihoods:
“Our wives and children are suffering. Many landlords have lost their properties, leaving families in despair. We appeal to Governor Sanwo-Olu to rescue us from these so-called Obas who have turned into land grabbers.”
Prince Oluwajimusu, Lagos State Chairman of Egbe Omo Ilaje, condemned what he described as a systematic 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.”
The Ilaje community claims that their ancestors were among the first settlers of Lagos, originally moving from Ilaje to Ebute-Ero, previously known as Olobun. They argue that demolitions carried out without court orders not only violate their property rights but also threaten the preservation of their history and culture.
The protesters are demanding immediate government intervention, legal protection of their lands, and compensation for families affected by the demolitions. They also warned that failure to address their grievances could escalate tensions, with the threatened nude protest at the palaces of certain monarchs being the next stage of their demonstration.
