‘Tinubu Should've Sent Son to Stop Benin Coup Instead of NAF Jets’: Soyinka Speaks in Viral Video
- Professor Wole Soyinka has criticised the large number of armed security personnel that he saw accompanying Seyi Tinubu, the son of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu
- Soyinka mocked the situation by saying that President Tinubu should not have deployed Nigerian soldiers and air force officials to Benin to foil the recent coup attempt there
- The Nobel Laureate taunted Tinubu, saying the Nigerian leader should instead have asked Seyi Tinubu to go with his armed security escorts to foil the Benin coup
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering politics, public affairs and governance in Nigeria and Africa.
Ikeja, Lagos state - Prof. Wole Soyinka, Nobel Laureate, has criticised what he described as the excessive deployment of security personnel around the family of President Bola Tinubu, saying it reflects poorly on Nigeria’s security architecture and priorities.
Speaking at the 2025 Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting (WSAIR) Awards held in Lagos on Tuesday, December 9, and attended by Legit.ng, Soyinka said he recently witnessed a disturbing level of armed protection attached to the president’s son, Seyi, while at a hotel in Ikoyi.
Source: Twitter
Soyinka slams Seyi Tinubu’s security excesses
Legit.ng recalls that President Tinubu had confirmed deploying fighter jets and ground troops to neighbouring Benin to help foil a coup attempt by a group of Beninese soldiers.
In a statement on Sunday, December 7, Tinubu’s office said Nigeria’s military intervened in Benin after President Patrice Talon’s government issued two requests for help, including for “immediate Nigerian air support”.
Tinubu first ordered Nigerian fighter jets to enter Benin and “take over the airspace to help dislodge the coup plotters from the National TV and a military camp where they had regrouped”, the statement said.
Nigeria’s military sent in ground troops later, after Benin’s government asked for their support in “the protection of constitutional institutions and the containment of armed groups”, it said.
Tinubu praised his troops and said they had helped “stabilise a neighbouring country”.
But commenting on governance, human rights, and security excesses, Soyinka expressed concern over what he described as “another unnecessary military entanglement next door.
Source: Twitter
He said:
"Tinubu didn't have to send the Air Force and the military to deal with this particular insurrection, this threat to our own 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. Right here. Or in Abuja, perhaps. I don't know. But there was no need to call the military or the Air Force.
"I'll tell you what happened. On one of my home visits, this was about two months ago, I was coming out of a hotel, and I saw what looked like a film set. And I said, 'oh, they're shooting a film'. That was on the grounds of this hotel. And a young man detached himself from the actors, came over, and greeted me, very polite, very nice young man. And I said, are you shooting somebody? I said, I'm just joking. Are you shooting a film? He said, no. And I looked around. There was nearly a whole battalion occupying the grounds of that hotel, in Ikoyi right here.
"So I went back in my car, and I asked the driver who that young man was. And he told me. And I saw this SWAT team, a mixture. They were at least heavily armed, at least some 15 or so heavily armed to the teeth security personnel. Huh. Looked sufficient to take over a small country, neighbouring city like Benin. And I think the next time, the president should just call and say, 'Seyi, go and quell the rebellion over there'."
Watch the trending video below:
Legit.ng journalist wins Wole Soyinka award
Meanwhile, Muhammad Yusuf Muslim, a journalist on Legit.ng’s Current Affairs and Politics desk, was named the winner in the Broadcast (TV) category of the 2025 Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting for his documentary, Inside Abuja’s Drug Problem.
The story, published during Muslim’s time as a staff journalist at Daily Trust, exposed the illicit drug trade in Nigeria’s capital, shedding light on the operations of drug cartels, rising youth substance abuse, and allegations of corruption within security agencies.
The Wole Soyinka Awards’ recognition comes about one week after Muslim was honoured by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) as the first runner-up in Community Reporting at the Media Excellence in Journalism Awards. The same report on Abuja’s substance abuse menace earned him that recognition.
A trained mass communicator, Muslim is an investigative journalist and fact-checker with over eight years of experience. He investigates stories on human rights, accountability, and social issues. He also has years of broadcasting experience and has been a fellow at the Thomson Reuters Foundation (TRF), CJID, HumAngle, and the Daily Trust Foundation.
Benin rebels attack Nigerian jet
Legit.ng earlier reported that a video emerged, reportedly showing Benin coupists attempting to down a Nigerian attack aircraft.
In the 10-second clip, what looked like a military aircraft could be seen in the sky.
Shots could be heard in the background, with the news outlet claiming Benin coupists had attempted to hit a Nigerian Air Force jet.
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Source: Legit.ng
