Nigerian government kidnapped Nnamdi Kanu – Prof. Wole Soyinka

Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka has criticised the way and manner with which the Nigerian government ‘arrested’ the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Ipob, Nnnamdi Kanu.

On June 30th, Justice Minister Abubakar Malami announced that Kanu has been returned to Nigeria.

“We want to inform Nigerians that government working with security agencies has succeeded in attempt to arrest Nnamdi Kanu and we have brought him back to Nigeria.”

Since then most Nigerians have been wondering if Kanu received the Umaru Dikko treatment.

In 1984, during the military dictatorship of Muhammadu Buhari, mercenaries were hired to grab, drug and crate back to the country Umaru Dikko, a former Transaction minister who was accused of embezzlement.

But in an interview with BBC Pidgin, Prof. Soyinka accuse the Buhari administration of repeating what it did in 1984.

“It’s not for me to tell the government to prepare itsef because when the truth about the way in which they arrested Nnamdi Kanu comes out, it will be surprising. People are trying to justify the arrest, but I believe that Nigeria acted outside international law.”

“The second issue has to do with the way Kanu conducted himself outside the nation. The level of hate speech from Kanu is unfortunate. But for me, Hate speech is an issue that the laws of any nation can judge so it comes back to the issue of wether it is right to quote and unquote ‘kidnap’, they can keep saying intercept as much as they want, but I think that they kidnapped Nnamdi Kanu and that is wrong internationally and it is wrong morally.” The Prof added.

On the way forward, Prof. Soyinka said government need to reexamine why people don’t trust them at all and stop the approach they are taking on groups calling for separation from the country.