Nobel Prize winner Wole Soyinka has formally requested President Bola Tinubu to put an immediate stop to extrajudicial killings carried out by government agencies. Soyinka emphasized that public indifference toward these acts only emboldens perpetrators. During the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture in Port Harcourt, themed Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage, he dedicated the event to victims of state-sponsored violence. He highlighted specific cases of brutality, including the killing of residents in Ughelli and the tragic death of Deborah, arguing that the failure of the justice system to punish these actors is a national disgrace.
Soyinka rejected claims that he creates religious friction by calling out these abuses, insisting that protecting individual human rights remains the most important task for the community. He urged Nigerians to actively monitor cases of police violence to ensure the legal system does not fail again. Former Aviation Minister Osita Chidoka, who delivered the keynote address, noted that true justice is often denied long before a case reaches a judge, as it begins with how police officers choose to handle initial complaints. Chidoka revealed that 64 percent of the nation’s prison population, totaling over 50,000 individuals, are currently awaiting trial. He described this systemic delay as a form of state-sanctioned violence that destabilizes families and ruins lives.
Chief Timi Alaibe, who chaired the event, reminded attendees that sustainable national growth is impossible without strict accountability. He challenged those in attendance—representing government, academia, and civil society—to move beyond empty words. Alaibe argued that the nation can only be reclaimed when the collective conscience prevails and institutions become more powerful than the individuals running them.
