Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, says the President Muhammadu
Buhari regime has attained an “unprecedented level of paranoia”
following the charges of treason filed against human rights activist,
Omoyele Sowore.
In a statement on Saturday, Soyinka said the nation had failed to
learn from past experiences.
He said, “This is utterly depressing news. So, the Sowore affair has
moved beyond harassment and taken on a sinister direction. Outside the
country where I happened to be engaged at the moment, I can testify
that the immediate reaction around me was to dismiss this as yet
another grotesque product of fake news, of which Nigerians have become
the greatest practitioners. I confess that I also joined in this
school of thought – at the start.
“Further checks have however confirmed that this government has indeed
attained an unprecedented level of paranoia. I do not believe that the
justice department itself believes in these improbable charges, as
formally publicized.
“So, once again, we inscribe in our annals another season of
treasonable felony. History still guards some lessons we have yet to
digest, much less from which to learn. Welcome to the Club, Mr.
Omoyele Sowore.”
The Buhari regime had on Friday filed seven counts of treasonable
felony and money laundering against Sowore.
The charges were filed a day before the expiration of the detention
order of the Federal High Court in Abuja permitting the Department of
State Services to keep the activist for 45 days.
