Professor Wole Soyinka, the Nobel laureate, was furiously angry on Monday and asked that everyone who was implicated in the purported Mambilla power plant scam be arrested and held in custody.
He was discussing Olu Agunloye, a former minister of power and steel, who had been arrested and detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on suspicion of being involved in the protracted Mambilla scandal.
The famous author was especially incensed by a remark he attributed to Mr. Ola Olukoyede, the chairman of the Commission, which said that only President Bola Tinubu had the authority to order Agunloye’s release.
Olu Agunloye has followed his movements openly to the extent of being there and photographed at my sister’s funeral on December 8, Soyinka claimed, questioning the anti-graft agency’s decision to designate the former minister sought after he had been spotted in public. He did not enter and exit covertly, nor did he appear in disguise.
“At an event where the press was present, he behaved like any other regular person. He was listed as WANTED less than 36 hours later. If the EFCC was making a joke, it was very offensive and clearly intended more for social media attention than for actual crime-solving.
However, Agunloye made a remark about his visibility and prompt compliance as a responsible citizen. He committed to appearing the next day at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja. As soon as he showed up, he was taken into custody and arrested.
“What I’ve been able to learn over the last two days since I returned to the country is that the head of the EFCC said he would only be released at the president of the country’s request.
Is it true or false? I’m not playing “He said, I said.” The ambiguous use of power is what counts. Prior to this, I had occasion to step in, starting with (Kayode) Are and continuing through (Nuhu) Ribadu and (Ibrahim) Magu, until he stopped returning my calls.
“The current situation surpasses all previous attempts at intervention, as it encompasses specific matters of national significance alongside the apparent concerns of essential civil rights.”
Soyinka claims he is for a Her said “put succinctly” wish to claim that finally, after so many years of frustration, the nation is being offered an opportunity to put the Mambilla Project to rest, be it through terminal abandonment or resuscitation. This is in addition to his reportedly support for the unveiling of the perpetrators in the alleged Mambilla scam. Furthermore, we may be able to resolve the nation’s most well-known murder case—that of Bola Ige, a former minister of power under President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Please understand this. Massive corruption that was the root cause of the Mambilla collapse was connected to the murder of Bola Ige as well as a significant act of sabotage that occurred under Ige’s supervision and resulted in the deaths of some engineers.
It’s time to put an end to the deceit, the cynical cover-ups, the shifting of blame, the diversionary remarks, and the now-public acknowledgement of corporate wrongdoing involving powerful individuals.
We are requesting an impartial Commission that will convene in public, gather testimony, pose questions, and, if required, conduct a cross-examination of witnesses over a period of up to a year. Ultimately, this enormous failure has persisted for almost twenty years. Certainly, we have another year to expose the unpleasant aspects of Truth, after which the public can act as they like with the information.
“It’s enough that this self-deception loop continues. Let’s put an end to this farce, take our losses, and move on by letting the two legislative chambers grab the reins.
“The EFCC should free all of its detainees in the interim or, alternatively, apprehend and hold without charge anyone connected to this massive fraud that has denied the “Giant of Africa” access to the necessities of modern society.”
