The Greater Crime is Silence – Soyinka Demands Answers From Tinubu Over Killings

Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called on President Bola Tinubu to make public the findings of investigations into unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings in Nigeria, saying continued silence over such cases has encouraged impunity and denied justice to victims and their families.

Soyinka made the appeal on Friday in Port Harcourt during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture organised by the National Association of Seadogs (Pirates Confraternity).

The event, which also marked the association’s annual Martyr’s Day, was themed, “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage.”

The renowned playwright recalled that shortly after assuming office in 2023, President Tinubu requested files on unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings. He urged the President to disclose the outcome of those reviews and ensure that those responsible for the crimes were brought to justice.

“I want Nigerians to join me in asking President Tinubu to bring out those files. We want to know what happened, why it happened and who should be held accountable,” Soyinka said.

He stressed that reopening unresolved cases would help restore public confidence in Nigeria’s justice system, arguing that the country had witnessed decades of unlawful arrests, illegal detention, unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings without accountability.

According to Soyinka, successive governments have failed to deliver justice to victims and their families, creating a dangerous culture where human life is treated as expendable.

“This lecture is dedicated to the martyrs, to those who have needlessly and avoidably had their lives wasted,” he said.

The Nobel laureate cited the killing of Deborah Samuel as one of the country’s unresolved tragedies, describing the incident as a painful example of Nigeria’s justice deficit.

“The crime is not only the killing. The greater crime is the silence that followed and the failure to hold those responsible accountable,” he said.

Soyinka warned that a nation where people could be killed by state actors or other perpetrators without consequences had failed in its duty to protect its citizens. He rejected suggestions that raising concerns over such killings was intended to inflame ethnic or religious divisions, insisting that the protection of human life should remain the foundation of every democratic society.

“I want the justice system in Nigeria not to fail us again. I don’t want it to create a pattern of impunity where human lives are treated as disposable,” he added.

He urged Nigerians to reject impunity and work together to build a society founded on accountability, justice and respect for the sanctity of human life.

Also speaking at the event, former Minister of Aviation, Chief Osita Chidoka, said justice begins long before cases get to the courts. He argued that justice starts with the way complaints are handled by security agencies and insisted that decisions should be based on merit rather than influence.

Chidoka expressed concern over the large number of awaiting-trial inmates in Nigerian custodial centres, saying about 64 per cent of inmates had not been convicted of any offence.

“Each of these 50,000 is a life in suspension. When the state causes that delay and citizens pay with their liberty, the delay becomes a form of violence,” he said.

He maintained that justice must protect every Nigerian equally, regardless of political affiliation, ethnicity or social status.

“The law is not established when it protects only our family and friends. Justice must defend the accused, the unpopular, the political opponent and the minority,” Chidoka stated.

Chairman of the occasion and former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Timi Alaibe, also said tribalism, weak institutions and poor accountability remained major obstacles to Nigeria’s development.

According to him, Nigeria’s greatest challenge is not the absence of solutions but the failure to implement known reforms.

“Too often, the institutions designed to hold power accountable have been weakened, while justice remains a privilege rather than a right for many Nigerians,” Alaibe said.

He added that rebuilding the country would require consistent commitment from citizens, institutions and leaders, saying, “Reclaiming the Nigerian state will not come through one dramatic event but through the steady accumulation of principled choices by citizens, institutions and leaders.”