By Paul Joseph
Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka has renewed his call for justice over the killing of Deborah Samuel and other victims of unresolved murders in Nigeria, urging President Bola Tinubu to reopen case files involving extrajudicial killings and ensure perpetrators are brought to justice.
Speaking at the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture Series and National Association of Seadogs (NAS) Martyrs’ Day in Port Harcourt on Friday, Soyinka condemned what he described as the continued failure of the justice system to hold killers accountable, warning that selective justice and public silence were eroding the nation’s humanity.
The lecture, themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” was chaired by former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chief Timi Alaibe.
Soyinka cited the 2022 lynching of Deborah Samuel, a student in Sokoto State who was stoned and burnt to death by fellow students over allegations of blasphemy, as one of Nigeria’s most painful examples of injustice.
He expressed concern that years after the incident, justice had yet to be served, recalling how one of the suspects allegedly appeared publicly displaying the matchstick used to set the victim ablaze without facing immediate consequences.
The Nobel laureate also referenced the killing of Mene Ogidi, who was shot dead by a police officer in broad daylight in Delta State, noting that although the officer was swiftly arrested, the response to Deborah’s murder had not reflected the same urgency.
According to Soyinka, every perpetrator of murder, regardless of where the crime occurs, must face the full weight of the law.
He criticised what he described as selective justice, accusing the judiciary of failing to uphold truth while lamenting the silence of many Nigerians in the face of obvious injustice.
“People who lose their lives because of these deficiencies in the state deserve justice,” Soyinka said, adding that the annual lecture was dedicated to victims of avoidable killings, including the Apo Six, the Ughelli victims, Deborah Samuel and others whose lives were cut short through violence.
He said the greatest tragedy in Deborah’s case was not only the brutal manner of her death but society’s failure to demand accountability.
“The crime is the silence of the rest of us,” he said, arguing that the inability of the justice system to prosecute those who openly celebrated the killing represented a grave failure of the Nigerian state.
Responding to critics who accused him of focusing on religiously sensitive issues, Soyinka dismissed such arguments, insisting that speaking against injustice should never be politicised or interpreted as an attempt to incite division.
In his keynote address, former Minister of Aviation, Chief Osita Chidoka, said justice in Nigeria often begins long before a courtroom, stressing that fairness depends on how law enforcement agencies handle complaints from citizens.
He revealed that about 64 per cent of inmates in Nigerian correctional centres—more than 50,000 people—were awaiting trial, describing prolonged detention without conviction as “a form of violence carried out by the state.”
Chidoka maintained that justice must apply equally to all citizens regardless of political affiliation, religion or social status, warning that where justice becomes negotiable, citizenship itself becomes unequal.
Chairman of the occasion, Chief Timi Alaibe, said accountability remained essential for sustainable national development, urging Nigerians to move beyond rhetoric and commit to rebuilding institutions founded on integrity and civic responsibility.
National Association of Seadogs Capoon, Dr. Joseph Oteri, said the annual lecture and Martyrs’ Day were designed to honour victims of state persecution and promote democratic values, recalling the detention of several NAS members during the military regime of the late General Sani Abacha because of their association with Soyinka and the pro-democracy movement.
Leave a Reply