Religious sect wants soyinka assasinated
By Amos
Fabiyi
 |
| Prof Wole Soyinka |
Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka
has disclosed that he is one of the prominent Nigerians on the list of Boko
Haram sect marked for assassination.
In a down-to-earth interview with
TheNEWS magazine which is circulated within outside Nigeria this week,
Soyinka revealed that he was not only on the sect’s assassination list but very
close to the top.
Soyinka said he has reported this to
the security operatives in the country and they confirmed the information but
he expressed disappointment that the security operatives have not taken action
on the threat.
He said: “The reason for this
programme (elimination) which I know is very much their third phase, is that
those pushing this agenda know very well that this could be the last straw that
will break the camel’s back. And they would rather this country broke up and
possibly in an inferno than continue to accept the loss, even though temporal
loss of power in this country. For these people, government is the only
business around.”
The Nobel Laureate said he was not
against dialogue but the Boko Haram sect did not make public their demands so
that they could sit at a round table with government.
He added that dialogue does not
require a group to constitute itself into a terror, stating that PRONACO which
he joined during former President Obasanjo’s administration successful
organised its conference, amended the constitution of Nigeria and presented the
document to the government without violence.
Soyinka said he cannot be cowed into
submission by the Boko Haram or any other violent group, stressing, “I believe
that one should not beg for existence. If the price of not coming to table is
that you want to eliminate me, and you can do so, please do so. I am 77.
“Please, come to the debating table,
but you will not persuade me simply because you have the capacity to blow me
and my family up. You can simply go ahead, blow us up if you think that is the
way you can do your conversation. But you will not bomb me to sit with you at
table,” he insisted.
Soyinka said President Jonathan is
underestimating the desperation of the forces behind the Boko Haram sect not
considering the Islamic struggle in countries like Iraq where fundamentalist
Islamic groups attack one another even in their sanctuary of worship and they
retaliate with higher casualty figure.
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