Bukola Afeni
Veteran Nollywood actress and filmmaker Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde has revealed that she and her family received multiple death threats during the #EndSARS protests, describing the period as the most intense she has experienced.
Speaking on Rubbin’ Minds on Channels Television, Omotola said threats were not new to her but escalated significantly during the 2020 protests.
“I am used to death threats; I have received them many times,” she said. “But I have never seen anything like what happened during #EndSARS. It was intense.”
She disclosed that the situation became alarming when her children were also targeted. “My kids started getting death threats. That was when it became weird,” she said.
According to the actress, she was deeply involved in the movement, participating in street protests while also engaging in international advocacy.
“I was on the streets during #EndSARS. I was doing international advocacy. I spoke with CNN, engaged with international NGOs and embassies, and I was doing a lot of work,” she said.
Omotola added that concerns for others’ safety forced her to become more cautious after individuals began seeking her out in person.
“When people started coming physically to my home and place of work to look for me, I knew I had to worry about other people and not just myself,” she said.
The #EndSARS movement was a decentralised nationwide protest against police brutality in October 2020, with a focus on the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). Omotola joined demonstrations at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos during the protests.
Following the events of October 20, 2020, she faced public criticism over a social media post that suggested people should avoid sensationalism “if no one died,” while maintaining that the incident remained a crime regardless. The comment drew backlash from Nigerians who viewed it as insensitive.
She later issued an apology, explaining that she did not dispute reports of deaths and intended to keep attention on accountability for the incident rather than the number of casualties.
