Sowore: Buhari Govt At ‘Unprecedented Level Of Paranoia’ — Soyinka

The Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka, has sternly rebuked the Buhari
administration after it filed charges of treason against the
detained publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore.

Mr Soyinka said the government “has indeed attained an
unprecedented level of paranoia” over the “improbable” charges that
include “insulting” President Muhammadu Buhari.

Charges against the activist became public on Friday, more than
a month after Mr Sowore was detained by the State Security Service
for planning the #RevolutionNow protest.

The SSS obtained a court order authorising Mr Sowore be held for
45 days in the first instance.

Last week, security forces laid a siege to the offices of Sahara
Reporters in Lagos, INA a bid to stop a protest demanding Mr
Sowore’s release.

Mr Soyinka slammed the government’s charges, saying the nation
had failed to learn from its past.

Read the full statement:

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 he 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 publicised. So, once again, we
inscribe n 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.
Wole SOYINKA

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