My kids got death threats during #EndSARS — Actress Omotola

Veteran Nollywood actress and filmmaker Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde has disclosed that her children received death threats during the 2020 #EndSARS protests, a development she said forced her to rethink how she engages in activism.

The actress, whose career spans more than three decades, made the revelation on Sunday while appearing as a guest on Rubbin’ Minds on Channels Television.

“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.”

“My kids started getting death threats. That was when it became weird,” she added, noting that she was actively involved in the movement at multiple levels.

“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.”

Omotola described the period as the most intense backlash she has faced in years of advocacy, revealing that the situation escalated when people began physically coming to her home and workplace.

“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 series of mass protests in October 2020 against police brutality and alleged abuses by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). Omotola joined demonstrations at the Lekki Toll Gate, demanding an end to police brutality.

Following the shootings on October 20, 2020, she faced backlash over a tweet suggesting that “if no one died, people should stop sensationalising” the event, as it “does not remove from the crime that happened.” Many Nigerians interpreted the comment as insensitive, but she later apologised, clarifying that she did not doubt the loss of life and only sought to keep focus on the crime itself.

The protests gained momentum after a viral video allegedly showed SARS officers killing a young man in Delta State, with the Lekki Toll Gate shooting becoming the defining moment of the movement. Despite the government’s decision to disband SARS and create a new unit, protesters demanded accountability, justice for victims, the release of detained protesters, police reform, and improved welfare. Five years on, many of those demands remain unresolved.

Explaining her activism journey, Omotola said she has always been vocal but became more cautious as her children grew older.

“I believe I have been an activist all my life. I believe I am a born activist. Even as a child, I was very vocal and always fought for people. It came very naturally to me,” she said.

However, she said the realities of family life in Nigeria forced her to reassess her approach.

“When my kids were younger, I didn’t care much because I could control their movement and everything about them. But when they got older, I had to restrategise.

“I can’t control where they go, I can’t protect them as much, and I don’t want my children to become victims of choices that I have made. I don’t care for my life, that is the truth, but I care for them and other people,” she said.

Reflecting on the impact of #EndSARS, she added that it shaped her decision to shift from street protests to advocacy.

“It was the ENDSARS experience that made it clear that I needed to restrategise. Instead of physical activism, I moved fully into advocacy,” she said.

Omotola has been involved in humanitarian and advocacy work with organisations such as Amnesty International and the United Nations World Food Programme, and has supported campaigns across Sierra Leone, Liberia and the Niger Delta. She has also spoken about confronting armed military personnel during protests in the past, describing the experiences as dangerous and life-threatening.

The actress remains one of Africa’s most influential film figures, with over 300 films to her credit. She was named among Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2013 and received the national honour of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR) in 2014.

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