Dare Babalola
Nollywood actress Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde has disclosed that her children received death threats during the #EndSARS protests, an experience that profoundly impacted her approach to activism.
Speaking on Channels Television, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde said she was used to threats but was deeply disturbed when her family, especially her children, were targeted.
“I am used to death threats; I have received them many times.
“But I have never seen anything like what happened during EndSARS. It was intense, my kids started getting death threats. That was when it became real, and when I realised this was no longer just about me,” Omotola said.
The actress revealed people started searching for her at home and work, prompting her to prioritise her family’s safety and reassess her situation.
“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,” she said.
Omotola explained that the experience influenced her decision to move away from street protests toward more strategic and targeted advocacy, citing concerns about her children’s growing independence.
“I can’t control where they go. I can’t protect them as much. I don’t care for my life, but I do care for them,” she said.
#EndSARS was a decentralised Nigerian social movement and wave of mass protests that erupted in October 2020, demanding an end to police brutality, particularly abuses linked to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). Protesters accused the unit of extrajudicial killings, harassment, extortion, and unlawful arrests, especially of young Nigerians.
The movement gained widespread momentum after a viral video allegedly showed SARS operatives killing a young man in Delta State, sparking nationwide outrage and sustained demonstrations across major cities.
Veteran Nollywood actress Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde joined protests at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos, one of the movement’s symbolic centres, where demonstrators gathered daily to demand police reform and accountability.
