Celebrating his 89th birthday, renowned Nigerian playwright and Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, made three demands of the Federal Government.
He called for the reopening of unresolved cases of religious killings, the imposition of visa bans on those promoting religious violence, and the creation of a public holiday for traditionalists.
Soyinka’s appeal was motivated by the tragic case of Deborah Samuel, a second-year student at Shehu Shagari College of Education in Sokoto State, who was brutally killed on May 12, 2022, following allegations of blasphemy.
In case you missed it We are still looking for Deborah Samuel’s killers ― Police
The incident, captured on video, showed Deborah being stoned and beaten by a mob on the school premises before being set ablaze.
The shocking incident sparked widespread outrage and condemnation across the country. Two suspects were subsequently arrested by the Sokoto police command, but as of August 2022, they remained at large.
Expressing his dismay at the lack of progress in the case, Soyinka condemned the failure of the police to arrest the suspects and ensure justice.
He called for all case files related to extrajudicial killings based on religious intolerance to be reopened, regardless of whether they involved alleged insults towards religious figures.
Soyinka urged the international community to impose visa bans on individuals fueling religious violence in Nigeria.
Soyinka emphasized his demands during his birthday celebrations, stating, “I have three requests to make from all of us who are here, in fact, demands, on behalf of humanity.
One, all the case files must be opened on all those who have been killed as a result of intolerance. The files should be reopened and all those who were killed extrajudicially in the name of religion.”
Additionally, Soyinka called on the federal and state governments to designate a public holiday for traditionalists, similar to the holidays enjoyed by Christians and Muslims.
He emphasized the need for equal recognition and respect for traditional religions in Nigeria. Soyinka asserted, “Three, it is high time we demanded, on behalf of traditional religions, an annual holiday like Islam and Christianity.
We’ve had enough of being second-class citizens in this nation. So, equal time, equal space, we demand public holidays. We demand it from federal, state, and local governments. We want an annual public holiday.”
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
I study 10 hours, sleep 5 hours daily — Imo first-class graduate with perfect 5.0 GPA, Igboanugo
Igboanugo Annastatia, who graduated with first-class honours, in this interview, reminisced about memorable moments that…
PHOTOS: How Aquatech College was demolished ‘with students on site’
It was a traumatic experience for students of Aquatech College of Agriculture and Technology on Thursday, as…
Nigerians have slammed Former Governor of Ekiti State Ayodele Fayose over his sudden support for President Bola Tinubu, saying he only…
VIDEO: My father deflowered me at 10, made love to me thrice weekly, Lady opens up
A young Nigerian Lady identified as Precious has revealed the horrifying ordeal of how she has been sexually abused by…
Ronaldo beats Messi to become world’s highest-paid athlete
For the first time since 2017 (and third time overall), Cristiano Ronaldo has topped Forbes’ list of the world’s highest-paid athletes, earning…
THE ongoing horror in the South-East being perpetrated by suspected members of the outlawed Indigenous Peoples of…
