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Veteran Nollywood actress and filmmaker Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde has revealed that her children received death threats during the 2020 #EndSARS protests, forcing her to rethink her approach to activism.
Speaking on Sunday on Rubbin’ Minds on Channels Television, Omotola said she was accustomed to threats but had never experienced the intensity of #EndSARS.
“I am used to death threats; I have received them many times,” Omotola 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, describing her active involvement on the streets and through international advocacy with NGOs, embassies, and media outlets.
“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.”
The actress recounted that the situation escalated when people began coming to her home and workplace searching for her. “I had to worry about others, not just myself,” she said.
Omotola joined protests at the Lekki Toll Gate and faced criticism after a tweet about the shootings on 20 October 2020, which she later clarified. She stressed that the movement’s demands for justice, accountability, and police reforms remain largely unfulfilled five years on.
Reflecting on her activism, Omotola said she has always been vocal but shifted strategies to protect her family.
“When my children were older, I couldn’t control their movements, so I had to restrategise,” she said.
She now focuses on advocacy rather than physical activism, continuing her long-standing humanitarian work with Amnesty International, the UN World Food Programme, and campaigns across Africa.
Omotola remains one of Africa’s most influential film figures, with over 300 films, a place in Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People (2013), and a national honour, MFR, in 2014.
