Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka has called on President Bola Tinubu to fulfil his pledge to revisit unresolved assassination cases and extrajudicial killings, urging the Federal Government to ensure justice for victims and end what he described as a culture of selective accountability.
Soyinka made the call on Friday while delivering remarks at the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture Series, organised by the National Association of Seadogs (Pirates Confraternity) in Port Harcourt. The event, which also featured the association’s Martyrs’ Day, was themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage” and chaired by former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Timi Alaibe.
The Nobel Laureate urged the Tinubu administration to honour an earlier commitment to review files relating to unresolved political assassinations and extrajudicial killings.
“When there was a government retreat, the incoming President said, ‘I want all the files of all the unsolved assassinations, killings and extrajudicial killings.’ What has happened to those files? We want President Tinubu to reopen them. We want to know what happened, why it happened, and who should be held accountable,” Soyinka said.
He also condemned the 2022 killing of Shehu Shagari College of Education student Deborah Samuel, who was lynched by a mob after being accused of blasphemy, describing the failure to secure justice in the case as a glaring example of selective justice.
Soyinka recalled that one of those involved in Deborah’s killing had publicly boasted about setting her ablaze, yet the justice system had failed to hold those responsible accountable.
“The crime is the silence of the rest of us,” he said. “The killers of that girl could openly display the match they used to set her on fire, and yet the system of justice failed completely.”
He contrasted Deborah’s case with the recent killing of 28-year-old Mene Ogidi, who was allegedly shot dead by a police officer in Delta State. While commending the swift arrest of the officer involved, Soyinka questioned why similar urgency had not been applied in prosecuting those responsible for Deborah’s murder.
He urged Nigerians to closely monitor the handling of the Delta case to ensure justice was served and called on the judiciary to uphold the rule of law without discrimination.
“The judiciary must not fail us again,” he said. “We must put an end to this casual butchery, regardless of the circumstances.”
Soyinka further criticised what he described as the judiciary’s failure to confront obvious injustice and warned that the selective application of the law undermines public confidence in the justice system.
Delivering the keynote address, former Minister of Aviation Osita Chidoka argued that justice begins long before cases reach the courtroom, stressing that fairness starts with the actions of law enforcement officers.
Chidoka expressed concern over prolonged pre-trial detention in Nigeria, revealing that about 64 per cent of inmates in custodial centres—more than 50,000 people—were awaiting trial rather than serving prison sentences.
“Each of these 50,000 is a life in suspension, a job lost, a family destabilised and someone’s health failing,” he said. “When the state causes that delay, citizens pay for it in lost liberty. The delay is not merely inefficiency; it is a form of violence carried out by the state itself.”
He maintained that justice must be applied equally, regardless of a person’s social status, political affiliation or public perception.
“A citizen who defeats the government in court must not face another battle to compel obedience,” Chidoka said. “Justice must protect the accused, the unpopular, the political opponent and the minority, because citizenship does not depend on agreement.”
Earlier, chairman of the event and former Niger Delta Development Commission Managing Director Timi Alaibe said accountability remained the foundation of sustainable development, warning that weak institutions erode public trust and diminish hope for national progress.
