Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka has criticised President Bola Tinubu for deploying the Nigerian Air Force instead of his son, Seyi, to Benin Republic following the failed coup attempt against President Patrice Talon.
Speaking at the 20th Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) Awards in Lagos on Monday, the literary icon questioned the necessity of a military intervention, suggesting instead that the President could have sent his son, Seyi Tinubu, to “quell” the insurrection.
Soyinka recalled recently seeing Seyi in Lagos surrounded by heavily armed security operatives, noting that such a level of protection implied he was capable of handling significant threats.
He said: “President Tinubu didn’t have to send the Air Force and Military to deal with the insurrection to our sense of security and equilibrium; no there are easier ways of doing it.
Let me tell you where Tinubu should have looked for forces to quell that insurrection, right here in Lagos or in Abuja perhaps, but there was no need to call the military or the Air Force.
“I will tell you what happened in one of my home visits just two months ago, I was coming out of a hotel and I saw what looked like a film set, a young man detached himself from the actors and came over to greet me very nicely politely.
“I looked around and there was nearly a whole battalion occupying the ground of that hotel in Ikoyi. So I got back in my car and asked who that young man was and he told me.
“I saw the SWAT team, a mixture of heavily armed, at least 15 heavily armed to the teeth security personnel, looked sufficient to take over a small neighbouring country like Benin.
“I think the next time the president should just call and say ‘Seyi go and quell the rebellion over there’. I was so astonished that I started looking for the NSA.”
Watch video below …
“President Tinubu didn’t have to send the Air Force and Military to stop the coup in Benin, he should have sent his son, Seyi Tinubu instead.” — Prof. Wole Soyinka berates Seyi Tinubu’s use of heavy security.
— YabaLeftOnline (@yabaleftonline) December 9, 2025
