*‘Problem I Had Was His Disrespectful, Inciteful Language’

NOBEL Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has stated that the Nigerian government was making a mistake by the continuous incarceration of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

In recently published interview, Soyinka said Kanu has the right to advocate for a separate Biafra nation, noting: “He was never accused of physically bombing any place or killing anyone.”

 Recall that Kanu was bundled to Nigeria from Nairobi in June 2021 by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, ostensibly with the support of the Kenyan government.

He has since remained in the Department of State Service (DSS) detention, while undergoing a forth and back trial on terrorism charges.

But Soyinka described the Nigerian government’s conduct as “kidnapping,” adding: “It is a mistake keeping Nnamdi Kanu in prison, I believe. In fact, they kidnapped him.

“His language was inciteful, yes, no question about that. But you don’t arrest, you don’t kidnap people. Buhari had an obsession with kidnapping people.

“That seemed to be his trademark. It is like he couldn’t fulfil himself unless he’s put somebody in a crate and brought them back.

“I think that politically speaking, if they have any real charges against him, well, since he is in their hands, they should try him. 

“All these technical postponements, delays, and avoiding the basic issues, for me, is counter-productive.”

He added: “He is one of the younger generations who inherited a burden of defeat, of resentment and a determination in their view, not to make the mistakes of their predecessors.

“They have a new will; they have a new understanding of history. The only problem I had with it was the language Nnamdi Kanu used over Radio Biafra. 

“I listened to some of it, very incendiary and also disrespectful, I thought, of even his own people. I don’t want to go into details, but all you have to do is listen to it.”