Massive protest of Artists as the government demolishes 'Artists Village at National Theatre Lagos.

The Artists’ Village at the National Arts Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos was demolished on Saturday based on orders from the Director of the National Arts Theatre. Eyewitnesses reported that the DG in company of a battalion of fully armed policemen, including the DPO came to the artists village with bulldozers at about 5am yesterday and started demolishing workshops and structures that housed veteran actors, painters,

sculptors, drums etc. without prior notice of demolition. Village Destroyed 2As if this wasn’t bad enough, the DG ordered that anyone pleading or reacting to this move should be shot. Presently some artistes are receiving treatment at the hospital.


According to reports, the government’s position is that the Village had become a hive for illegal and illicit activities. The artists on the other side dispute that accusation and claim the government has less than pure motives for their actions including possible commercial use of the space versus the current free art space.

Let it be on record before the battle begins, that the DG (Kabiru Yusuf) of the National Arts Theatre has become a complete nuisance to the Artists community. And since he is a representative of the Federal Government, his recent action further tells us that this present government is bent on completely destroying the arts and creative expressions.

As we were rejoicing with Jelili Atiku on his release from Kirikiri, the Artistes village, which is annexed to the national theatre witnessed a demolition in the early hours of yesterday, Saturday 23rd January 2016. The space, which can be readily considered as the only space that still brews creativity 

within the entire structure of the national theatre, whose glory is constantly sinking into the muddy grounds surrounding it.