Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has reacted to the invasion of the Ibadan home of Yoruba Nation activist, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho.
Igboho’s residence, located in the Soka area of Ibadan, Oyo State, was raided on July 1, 2021, by a joint team of operatives from the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Army, during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The operation was carried out over allegations that the activist was stockpiling arms and ammunition.
However, in a video posted by Igboho’s media aide, Olayomi Koiki, Professor Soyinka, described the action by security operatives as “unlawful and criminal.”
He urged the Federal Government to apologise to the Yoruba Nation agitator, rather than continue to treat him as a criminal.
The raid, he recalled, resulted in the killing of two of Igboho’s aides and the arrest of 13 of his supporters.
Although the date of the recording could not be confirmed, the Nobel Laureate made the remarks during an interview in which he addressed questions on the invasion of Igboho’s residence, the arrest of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu, and the wider issue of insecurity across Nigeria.
Soyinka said: “My advice is not so much to Igboho as it is to the government. They should stop pursuing this person as a criminal because they began by acting in a criminal fashion against him.
“If and when Igboho is brought to trial, I guarantee that the government will be very embarrassed. It is not in its interest.
“I think they should simply tell him, ‘We made a mistake; we should not have acted this way. You are no longer wanted.’ They should escort him back to his home quietly and let him resume his normal life.”
The eminent scholar further faulted media descriptions suggesting that Igboho was “in hiding,” saying the activist had instead “gone underground” to protect himself and continue his cause.
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“I am not referring to the secessionist element, I am talking about what Igboho originally set out to do, to protect and defend his people, and to make it clear to aggressors that they are not lords over this nation or any part of it beyond what the Constitution permits,” Soyinka clarified.
He concluded that any attempt by the government to prosecute Igboho would backfire: “If you bring Igboho to trial, the government will end up with mud on its face.”
“As far as I am concerned, it is up to him to decide his next steps. He knows what happened before his people were killed, and only he can determine what to do next,” he said.
