A fresh wave of tension is sweeping through Lagos as women and youth from the Ilaje ethnic group openly expressed anger over what they described as deliberate attempts to wipe out their ancestral communities.
The group warned that if the trend of demolitions and forced evictions continues, they would be left with no option but to strip themselves bare and march on the palaces of the monarchs they hold responsible.
The protest took place on Tuesday, August 19, when a large crowd under the umbrella of Egbe Omo Ilaje Worldwide moved to the Lagos State House of Assembly in Alausa, Ikeja.
The demonstrators, carrying placards and chanting solidarity songs, called on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Speaker Mudashiru Obasa to step in before the crisis escalates.
Among the protesters was an elderly woman who identified herself as Ifagbemi. Speaking with fiery determination, she said the Ilaje people could no longer sit idle while their lands and homes were being destroyed.
“We are the original settlers of Lagos. Our forefathers migrated from Ilaje land to Ebute-Ero—what used to be called Olobun. Yet today, our children are being driven away like strangers.
“If this government ignores us, we will remove our clothes and go to the palaces of those behind these acts. All we are asking for is justice and peace,” she declared.
For the Ilaje protesters, the problem is not faceless. They allege that certain monarchs in Lagos are behind the crisis.
According to them, these royal fathers have abandoned their traditional role as custodians of peace and turned into land grabbers.
The President-General of Egbe Omo Ilaje Worldwide, Rafael Irowainu, accused some of the monarchs of exploiting the name of President Bola Tinubu to justify demolitions that have no legal backing.
“Let it be clear—President Tinubu did not send them. They are hiding under his name to dispossess people. What they are doing is fraudulent and lawless.
“Worse still, some of these monarchs are not even from Lagos. They come from Osun and Ekiti, yet they now oppress the true indigenes,” he said.
He stressed that demolitions without court orders were violations of citizens’ rights and warned that forcing families into homelessness would only heighten insecurity in Lagos.
“Our Families Are Suffering,” stories of loss and hardship echoed among the protesters.
Wole Adewusi, a landlord who joined the march, explained how many families were left stranded after their homes were pulled down.
“Our wives and children are suffering. People worked for years to build those houses, and now everything is gone overnight.
“These Obas have turned themselves into land speculators. We are appealing to Governor Sanwo-Olu to save us from them,” he pleaded.
Another protester, a young father, added that beyond the loss of property, the demolitions were eroding the very identity of the Ilaje people.
“We are being erased, community by community. This is not just about buildings—it is about survival,” he said quietly.
The Lagos State Chairman of the association, Prince Oluwajimusu, echoed the anger of his people, insisting that the attempt to silence the Ilaje identity would not succeed.
“You cannot write the history of Lagos without the Ilaje people. We were among the earliest settlers, long before today’s political rulers. What is happening now is unjust and deliberate.
“We cannot keep living as slaves in the land of our fathers. By 2027, if things do not change, we will decide our own political direction,” he warned.