Abeokuta, Nigeria – Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka has condemned the attacks on #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protesters and journalists by Nigerian security agencies, criticizing the use of live bullets and tear gas by the Nigeria Police Force. He warned that such measures could escalate violence.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Soyinka expressed concern over the Federal Government’s handling of the protests. He noted that President Bola Tinubu’s recent address to the nation failed to adequately address the issue of protest management.
“The misuse of live bullets as a state response to peaceful protests is deeply troubling,” Soyinka said. “Even the use of tear gas is questionable in most circumstances.”
Soyinka drew parallels to colonial-era repression, referencing Hubert Ogunde’s folk opera “Bread and Bullets.” He urged security agencies to find alternative methods for managing civic protests and to refrain from using lethal force.
He highlighted the “Yellow Vest” protests in France as an example of how security forces can manage demonstrations without resorting to gunfire. “The use of bullets when bread is demanded signals a dangerous regression,” he warned.
Soyinka called for a permanent abandonment of lethal responses by security agencies, emphasizing the need for Nigeria to set an example by recalling its own history and initiating lasting transformations. He suggested that protesters might adopt songs from Ogunde’s “Bread and Bullets” to instill a sense of shame over the ongoing failure to move beyond colonial-era practices.
