Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka has urged the Federal Government to apologise to Sunday Igboho over the invasion of his Ibadan residence and killing of two of his associated by a combined team of the Department of State Services, Army and Police last Thursday.
The DSS invaded Igboho’s house over an allegation that the Oduduwa Nation protagonist was stockpiling arms to cause chaos within the region.
Igboho, who has been declared wanted by the DSS, had recently been calling for a ‘Yoruba Nation’ over what he has described as a ‘Fulani invasion’ of the Southwest.
In an interview with BBC Pidgin published on Monday, the playwright, said the government’s actions and rationale for invading Igboho’s home “stinks.”
Soyinka said: “My advice to the government is that they should stop pursuing Igboho as a criminal, because you have begun by acting in a criminal fashion against him.
“If and when Igboho comes to trial, I guarantee you the government will be very embarrassed.
“I think they should tell Igboho ‘we made a mistake’, ‘we should not have acted in this way’, ‘you are no longer wanted’, ‘go back to your home, in fact escort him to his home’ and let him resume his normal life.”
According to Soyinka, Igboho’s fight for freedom was preceded by criminal acts of enemies of Nigeria who “appear to be supported by the force of the State.”
While Soyinka noted he doesn’t ‘like the sound of a Yoruba Nation’ anymore than he likes the sound of a Tiv or Igbo nation, he said the country must be restructured through the decentralisation of power.
“Nigeria’s current structure was imposed upon the people by the military,” he said.
