- Odibo Victory
Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has called on President Bola Tinubu to revisit unresolved cases of assassinations and extrajudicial killings to restore public confidence in Nigeria’s justice system.
Soyinka made the call on Friday in Port Harcourt during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture organised by the National Association of Seadogs (Pirates Confraternity).
The lecture, themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” also marked the association’s annual Martyr’s Day.
Soyinka said Nigeria had a long history of unconstitutional arrests, unlawful detention, unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings, lamenting that successive governments had failed to deliver justice for victims and their families.
“This lecture is dedicated to the martyrs, to those who have needlessly and avoidably had their lives wasted,” he said.
According to him, many Nigerians have been killed by state agencies and other perpetrators without anyone being held accountable.
Soyinka cited the killing of Deborah Samuel, describing her death as one of the country’s unresolved tragedies and evidence of Nigeria’s deep justice deficit.
“The crime is not only the killing. The greater crime is the silence that followed and the failure to hold those responsible accountable,” he said.
The Nobel Laureate said any country where people could be gunned down by state actors in broad daylight without accountability had failed its citizens.
He dismissed claims that raising such issues was intended to provoke religious or ethnic divisions, stressing that the protection of human life should remain the foundation of every democratic society.
“I want the justice system in Nigeria not to fail us again. I don’t want it to create a pattern of impunity where human lives are treated as disposable,” he added.
Recalling that President Tinubu, upon assuming office in 2023, requested files on unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings, Soyinka urged the President to make the findings public and ensure justice was served.
“I want Nigerians to join me in asking President Tinubu to bring out those files. We want to know what happened, why it happened and who should be held accountable,” he said.
He noted that the annual lecture was intended to remind Nigerians of their collective responsibility to uphold justice and defend human dignity, urging citizens to reject impunity and work together to build a society anchored on accountability, justice and respect for the sanctity of human life.
In his keynote address, former Minister of Aviation, Chief Osita Chidoka, said justice begins long before cases reach the courts, arguing that it starts with how complaints are handled by security agencies.
He insisted that decisions should be based on merit rather than external influence, revealing that about 64 per cent of inmates in custodial centres across the country were awaiting trial, with more than 50,000 Nigerians being held without convictions.
“Each of these 50,000 is a life in suspension. When the state causes that delay and citizens pay with their liberty, the delay becomes a form of violence,” Chidoka said.
He maintained that justice must protect every citizen equally, irrespective of political affiliation, ethnicity or social status.
“The law is not established when it protects only our family and friends. Justice must defend the accused, the unpopular, the political opponent and the minority,” he added.
Earlier, Chairman of the occasion and former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Chief Timi Alaibe, identified tribalism, weak institutions and poor accountability as major obstacles to Nigeria’s development.
Alaibe said although Nigeria was richly endowed with human and natural resources, it had continued to underperform because of weak institutions and inconsistent policy implementation.
According to him, the country’s greatest challenge is not the absence of solutions but the failure to act on what is already known.
“Too often, the institutions designed to hold power accountable have been weakened, while justice remains a privilege rather than a right for many Nigerians,” he said.
Alaibe added that the National Association of Seadogs was founded on ideals that reject colonialism, ethnic chauvinism, clannishness and partisanship.
He stressed that accountability depends not only on laws but also on the courage of citizens and institutions to uphold justice without fear or favour.
“Reclaiming the Nigerian state will not come through one dramatic event but through the steady accumulation of principled choices by citizens, institutions and leaders,” Alaibe said.