For the second time in less than six months, Nollywood actress and philanthropist Sarah Martins has found herself at odds with the Lagos State Government over her street feeding outreach and this time, officials are threatening to prosecute.
On Saturday, the government, through the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources Tokunbo Wahab, said Martins risks apprehension and prosecution if he doesn’t desist from carrying out street cooking or similar activities in public spaces.
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The recurring clash has raised questions about where the line falls between charitable goodwill and public order, and whether Lagos has done enough to provide a workable path for citizens who want to help the poor.
A Pattern of Confrontation
This is not a new dispute. On October 4, 2025, some Lagos residents called Wahab’s attention to Martins’ street cooking activities, saying it was unnecessary and hazardous.
At the time, the environment commissioner urged the residents to call the government’s attention to the actress the next time they see where she is cooking so that she could be apprehended.
It is ok to make this sweeping allegation without considering the necessary steps required to get some of these things done. You tagged me, and you believe I see every comment? Ok I am sorry. So let’s do it this way ma, the next time you see where she is cooking, kindly call our…
— Tokunbo Wahab (@tokunbo_wahab) October 4, 2025
That arrest eventually came on less than two weeks later on October 16, 2025, when enforcement officials from the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC/KAI) apprehended Martins while she was cooking and distributing free meals to the less privileged on a road median at Admiralty Way, Lekki Phase 1.
What should have been a straightforward enforcement exercise ended badly. Martins alleged that hot oil was poured on her hand during the confrontation, leaving it visibly swollen. Videos of the incident circulated widely on social media, showing her in tears and being helped by passersby.
Actress Sarah Martins tearfully shares her encounter with Lagos task force officials, who allegedly har@ssed her for cooking on the street in Lekki pic.twitter.com/hfgddlRCao
— Instablog9ja (@instablog9ja) October 16, 2025
Wahab defended the action, saying Martins had been conducting an unauthorised activity on public infrastructure in violation of environmental law.
“While the Lagos State Government deeply appreciates the spirit of philanthropy and community support demonstrated by many residents, such initiatives must be carried out in compliance with the state’s extant laws to ensure public safety, environmental protection, and urban order,” the commissioner said.
The Lagos State Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources wishes to address a recent incident in the Admiralty area of Lekki Phase 1, where an individual was apprehended by officials of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC/KAI) for engaging in unauthorized… pic.twitter.com/QZZ0HtCKlh
— Tokunbo Wahab (@tokunbo_wahab) October 17, 2025
But the optics of a woman crying over a burnt hand while feeding the poor were difficult to manage, and the story gained national attention.
Shortly after, Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Tinubu, was said to have facilitated a donation of ₦20 million to support her charity work, though he later clarified that he personally did not make the donation, but that friends, moved by the incident, had raised funds to help her secure a proper space.
That donation reportedly came with a charity kitchen, set up specifically so that Martins’ Golden Heart Foundation could run feeding programmes in an organised manner.
One would have assumed that settled the matter. It did not.
The Ajah Visit and a Second Warning
Last Friday, Martins posted a video on her Instagram page showing herself cooking for vulnerable street children in the Ajah area of Lagos.
Actress Sarah Martins takes to the streets of Lagos to cook and share food with people on the streets. pic.twitter.com/C9SR0Vb1Po
— CHUKS 🍥 (@ChuksEricE) March 6, 2026
The government moved quickly. Wahab issued a public statement on his official X handle warning her to stop.
“While we acknowledge and appreciate the spirit of charity and compassion behind what you are trying to do, carrying out such activities on public roads, walkways or medians is not permitted under Lagos environmental and public order regulations,” Wahab wrote, noting that she had already been cautioned before.
“I would strongly advise that you desist from carrying out street cooking or similar activities in public spaces in Lagos in order to avoid apprehension and prosecution.”
Martins pushed back. In a response to the commissioner, she denied cooking on any road or walkway, insisting the meal was prepared in front of a king’s palace in Ajah, under the supervision of security personnel and far from the main road. She framed the visit as unplanned, an emotional response to children in the area who had repeatedly asked her to return.
“The visit was simply born out of an emotional moment,” she wrote. “I had deeply missed the bond I share with the vulnerable street children in that area.” She apologised if her actions were perceived as inappropriate and pledged to restrict all future cooking activities to the charity kitchen.
Goodwill Is Not Enough
At its core, this dispute is not simply about one actress and her cooking pots. It is about a broader failure to define clear, accessible channels for organised charity in public spaces.
Wahab’s statement acknowledges the philanthropic intent behind Martins’ work, yet the government’s position has essentially been: we appreciate what you are doing, but you must not do it here, without providing a straightforward process for getting permission to do it anywhere.
Martins is not the only person in Lagos who feeds the poor on the street. Informal charity feeding is a common practice in markets, under bridges and at road junctions across the city. The question is whether the state’s enforcement regime targets everyone equally, or whether celebrity visibility makes some people easier to single out.
There is also the matter of consistency. If the October 2025 arrest, the public controversy, the Seyi Tinubu intervention and the provision of a charity kitchen were meant to resolve this tension, something clearly went wrong between that resolution and Martins’ decision to cook in Ajah in March.
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Whether that reflects poor communication, genuine confusion about what constitutes a permitted space, or simple impulsiveness, the result is a repeat confrontation that serves no one.
Philip Ibitoye is a Special Correspondent with EKO HOT BLOG. Click here to find daily analysis and critical insight on trending issues in Lagos and other parts of Nigeria.
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