Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, has condemned the July 1, 2021, invasion of the Ibadan home of Yoruba Nation agitator, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Army.
Naijaonpoint reports that Soyinka made his position known in a video shared by Igboho’s media aide, Olayomi Koiki, where he insisted that the Federal Government owed the activist an apology.
Soyinka faulted the violent dawn raid on Igboho’s Soka residence, describing it as an unjustifiable assault that cost human lives.
The Nobel Laureate maintained that the operation, which led to the killing of two aides and the arrest of 13 supporters, was a clear abuse of state power.
Igboho’s residence was stormed on allegations that he was stockpiling arms, a claim he repeatedly denied.
The DSS later paraded the arrested individuals and displayed firearms allegedly recovered from the scene, sparking widespread controversy and condemnation, especially across the South-West.
Soyinka said the Federal Government should accept responsibility for the raid and issue a public apology to Igboho and the families of the victims.
The playwright noted that rather than targeting individuals agitating peacefully, government security agencies should focus on curbing widespread insecurity across the country.
Soyinka said, “My advice is not so much to Igboho but to the government that they should stop pursuing this person as a criminal because you (government) have begun by acting in a criminal fashion against him.
“Because if and when Igboho comes to trial, I guarantee you that the government will be very embarrassed. It’s not in the interest of the government. I think they should just tell Igboho we made a mistake.
“We should not have acted this way. You are no longer wanted. Go back to your home and, in fact, escort him to his home quietly and let him resume his normal life.
“To declare him wanted, and again, this is another issue of language. I read in some papers that Igboho is in hiding. But more accurately, he probably just went underground to protect himself and perhaps be able to continue his declared struggle.
“I’m not talking about the secessionist aspect. I’m talking about what Igboho came out to do, and I believe it is still his mission in this nation to protect and defend his own people and to let the aggressors know that they are not lords of this nation and not any section of it, apart from what they are constitutionally entitled to.
“I think the government in known interest if you bring Igboho to trial he’s going to get mud in your face clearly. As far as I’m concerned it is up to Igboho to decide.
“He knows what the circumstances were. He knows what happened before his people were killed, and he’s the only one who can decide for himself. I cannot advise him.”
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