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Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka has criticised the large number of armed security officers accompanying President Bola Tinubu’s son, Seyi. He made the comment during the 20th Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) Awards in Lagos on Tuesday, saying such heavy security presence sends the wrong message about Nigeria’s priorities and security management.
Soyinka argued that although presidents globally have families, the privilege should not be misused. He recounted leaving his hotel and mistaking the scene for a movie set due to the sheer size of the security detail. A polite young man approached and greeted him, and when he later asked his driver who it was, he learnt it was Seyi Tinubu.
He added that the security presence, including around 15 heavily armed personnel resembling a SWAT team, appeared excessive enough to “take over a neighbouring small country like Benin.”
The writer explained that the sight concerned him so much that he attempted to reach the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, to verify whether the deployment was authorised and necessary. He eventually reached him abroad and described the situation, noting his disbelief at what he had witnessed.
