Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka Slams Heavy Security Detail Around Seyi Tinubu, Says It Reflects Misplaced National Priorities
Distinguished writer and dramatist Wole Soyinka has publicly criticized the “excessive” security deployment reportedly guarding Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Tinubu, calling it a serious misallocation of national security resources. The remarks came during the 20th edition of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) Awards in Lagos on Tuesday.
Soyinka recounted a recent experience in a hotel in Ikoyi, Lagos, where he encountered what appeared to be a film shoot, only to realize it was actually a heavily armed security detail protecting Seyi Tinubu. “There was nearly a whole battalion occupying the hotel grounds,” he said. According to him, at least 15 well-armed officers formed the protective cordon, a force he described as powerful enough “to take over a small neighbouring city like Benin.”
Disturbed by what he saw, Soyinka said he sought to reach the National Security Adviser (NSA) at the time, the response, he claims, was that the individual under protection was indeed the president’s son. “I couldn’t believe it,” he said.
Soyinka used the anecdote to question the logic behind deploying the nation’s air force and military in foreign interventions, notably in the recent crisis in the neighboring Benin Republic. With sarcasm, he suggested that if that security detail was available, “there would have been no need” for such mobilisation. “Next time there’s an uprising, the president should call that young man … You have troops under your command,” he quipped.
He further warned that devoting such heavy security resources to a single individual undermines the national security architecture, especially in a country grappling with widespread insecurity.
Soyinka’s comments add a sharp voice to ongoing public debate over the scale of state‑provided security for politically connected individuals, raising concerns about priorities, fairness, and institutional integrity at a time when many Nigerians continue to call for improved protection for ordinary citizens.