Nobel laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka calls on Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu to fulfil a promise to reopen and investigate unresolved cases of assassinations, killings and extrajudicial killings across the country. The appeals, reported by Nigerian and Nigerian-based outlets, present Soyinka’s position as part of accountability demands aimed at forcing review of “files” relating to cases that have not been properly resolved.
Soyinka makes the request while referencing Tinubu’s comments at the start of his administration, when he said he wanted access to files on unsolved assassinations, killings and extrajudicial killings. In one account, Soyinka delivers the message during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture Series held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Soyinka also highlights specific incidents he says should not be overlooked, including the 2022 lynching of Deborah Samuel in Sokoto, after she was accused of blasphemy, and the alleged extrajudicial killing of Mene Ogidi in Delta State, where he is said to have been shot dead by a police officer. Across the reports, Soyinka argues that perpetrators should face justice and that the government should investigate what happened, why it happened, and who was responsible.
