Speaking on Channels Television’s Rubbin’ Minds on Sunday, Omotola said she had become accustomed to personal threats in the past but was deeply shaken when the intimidation spread to her family
Veteran Nollywood actress Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde has disclosed that her children received death threats during the #EndSARS protests an ordeal she says significantly changed how she engages in activism.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Rubbin’ Minds on Sunday, Omotola said she had become accustomed to personal threats in the past but was deeply shaken when the intimidation spread to her family.
“I am used to death threats; I have received them many times.
“But I had never experienced anything like what happened during EndSARS.
It was intense my children started receiving death threats. That was when it became real, and when I realised it was no longer just about me,” she said.
She added that the situation worsened when people began searching for her at her home and workplace, forcing her to reconsider her safety and that of her children.
“When people started coming to my home and workplace looking for me, I knew it was time to think beyond myself. I had to protect others, especially my children,” Omotola explained.
The actress noted that the experience prompted her to move away from street protests toward more strategic and focused advocacy, citing concerns about her children’s increasing independence.
“I can’t control where they go. I can’t protect them as much. I don’t care about my life, but I do care about them,” she said.
The #EndSARS movement was a decentralised Nigerian protest campaign that erupted in October 2020, calling for an end to police brutality particularly abuses linked to the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
Demonstrators accused the unit of extrajudicial killings, harassment, extortion, and unlawful arrests, especially of young Nigerians.
Public outrage intensified after a viral video allegedly showed SARS operatives killing a young man in Delta State, triggering nationwide demonstrations across major cities.
Omotola participated in protests at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos, one of the movement’s key gathering points, where demonstrators met daily to demand police reform and accountability.
However, after October 20, 2020 when security operatives were accused of opening fire on unarmed protesters at the toll gate she faced backlash over a tweet in which she suggested that “if no one died, people should stop sensationalising” the incident, while stressing that the alleged attack remained serious.
Many Nigerians viewed the comment as questioning reports of deaths and criticised it as insensitive. Omotola later apologised, clarifying that she did not dispute that lives were lost and that her intention was to emphasise that the incident itself constituted a grave crime, regardless of casualty figures.
The Lekki Toll Gate shooting went on to become the defining moment of the #EndSARS movement, drawing widespread international attention and condemnation.
Join us on our WhatsApp Platform @KOIKIMEDIA NEWS YOUR PAGE
koikimedia Bringing the World 🌎 Closer to Your Doorstep