Wole Soyinka has asked the Federal Government of Nigeria to apologize to Sunday Igboho after officials of the Department of State Services invaded his home.
The DSS invaded Igboho’s house in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Thursday, July 1, and two of his associates were killed during the invasion.
Igboho has been calling for a “Yoruba Nation” in response to what he has described as a “Fulani invasion” of the South-West. He has been declared wanted by the DSS.
In an interview with BBC Pidgin published on Monday, July 5, Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, said the government’s actions and rationale for invading Igboho’s home “stinks.”
He said: “My advise 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.”
Soyinka said Igboho’s fight for freedom was caused by criminal acts of enemies of Nigeria who “appear to be supported by the force of the State.”
While Soyinka added that he doesn’t “like the sound of a Yoruba Nation” any more than he likes the sound of a Tiv or Igbo nation, but he said the country must be restructured through the decentralisation of power.
