Tears and Tension in Lekki as Actress Sarah Martins’ Charity Drive Ends in Chaos After Lagos Task Force Clash

A routine act of kindness by Nollywood actress Sarah Martins turned into a scene of chaos and emotion on Tuesday, October 15, 2025, after Lagos State Task Force officials disrupted her charity outreach in Lekki, spilling hot oil on her hand and allegedly harassing her team.

The incident, partially captured in a tearful three-minute video now circulating on X, has ignited fierce debate over the line between philanthropy and state enforcement in Nigeria’s most populated city.

Martins, 34, is the founder of the Sarah Martins Golden Heart Foundation, a non-profit known for organizing free meal distributions to the homeless and underprivileged across Lagos. She had reportedly been serving cooked food from large pots along a busy Lekki street when uniformed officers intervened, ordering her team to vacate the area immediately. In the ensuing confusion, a pot of boiling oil overturned, scalding her hand.

Visibly shaken and crying in the viral clip, the actress accused the officers of “brutalizing humanity in the name of order.” “I was only trying to feed hungry people,” she sobbed. “They treated us like criminals.”

Lagos State’s Task Force, however, defended the action, insisting the operation was part of ongoing enforcement against unauthorized street vending and gatherings that obstruct traffic and litter the environment. “We respect charitable acts,” a spokesperson said, “but they must comply with established regulations and obtain permits.”

The clash has sparked intense reactions online. Supporters flooded social media with messages of solidarity, calling Martins a “true angel in human form” and denouncing what they described as “a government waging war against kindness.” Others shared similar experiences of being stopped during outreach drives, claiming officials often act with excessive force.

Yet critics — including Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s media aide, Jubril Gawat — took a harder stance. In a post on X, Gawat argued that good intentions don’t justify lawlessness, saying Martins’ action “caused traffic congestion and litter on a major Lekki route.” He added that her foundation should have applied for authorization or coordinated with local authorities to ensure safety and order.

The controversy touches on a growing tension in Lagos between grassroots charity movements and rigid urban regulations. With the cost of living at record highs and hunger deepening, private citizens like Martins have increasingly stepped in where government relief programs fall short. However, these spontaneous humanitarian acts often collide with the city’s efforts to maintain public order and sanitation.

Sarah Martins, who rose to fame in Nollywood for her roles in romantic dramas and later built a reputation as a philanthropist and entrepreneur, vowed in an emotional post that the incident “will not stop me from feeding my people.” Her foundation’s next outreach, she hinted, would be held in a “secured, permitted venue — but with the same love.”

For many Nigerians, the Lekki confrontation has come to symbolize a broader national struggle — where compassion meets bureaucracy, and the human impulse to help must navigate the rules of a city constantly on edge.

Watch the video below

— BusterBlog.com | Lagos Reports Desk