Apples Bite Magazine – Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka has publicly condemned the extensive security detail accompanying Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Tinubu, calling it a troubling misuse of state resources.
Speaking at an event in Lagos on Tuesday, where he presented an honorary award to poet Odia Ofeimun, Soyinka recounted his shock at witnessing the younger Tinubu’s security convoy at an Ikoyi hotel. He counted approximately 15 heavily armed escorts accompanying the president’s son.
“My first thought was that I had walked onto a film set,” the renowned playwright said, describing how a young man detached from the armed group to greet him. “Later on, I found that apparently this is how this young man goes around with his battalion, his heavily armed soldiers.”
The encounter disturbed Soyinka so deeply that he contacted National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu to express his concerns. “Do you mean that a child of the head of state goes around with an army for his protection or whatever? I couldn’t believe it,” he stated.
Soyinka warned that allocating such substantial state security assets to a private individual without public office “undermines the country’s security framework.” He emphasised that “children should know their place. They are not potentates.”
In a pointed jab, the Nobel laureate suggested that if Nigeria ever faces another insurrection, the president should simply call on his son and “his battalion” rather than mobilizing the army or air force.
The presidency has not yet responded to Soyinka’s criticism.
The comments arrive weeks after President Tinubu ordered the withdrawal of police escorts from VIPs nationwide, directing those requiring protection to obtain personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps instead. However, reports indicate that many influential Nigerians continue moving with police or DSS escorts, raising serious questions about the directive’s enforcement and equitable application.
Critics argue that diverting police and DSS operatives to serve private individuals exacerbates insecurity nationwide, particularly as officers are frequently spotted running personal errands or providing unauthorized protection for VIPs.
Madukwe B. Nwabuisi is an accomplished journalist renown for his fearless reporting style and extensive expertise in the field. He is an investigative journalist, who has established himself as a kamikaze reporter.
