Speaking on Tuesday at the 20th Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) Awards in Lagos, Soyinka recounted witnessing an unusually large detachment of armed personnel guarding the president’s son at a hotel in Ikoyi.
He said the scene resembled a movie set, with about 15 heavily armed operatives — a deployment he argued was disproportionate and unjustifiable.
Soyinka said he was shocked enough to attempt contacting the national security adviser to verify whether the security arrangement was officially sanctioned.
He added that the level of armament and numbers attached to Seyi Tinubu were comparable to a force capable of suppressing a rebellion in a neighbouring country.
The Nobel laureate said the president could easily draw from this “private battalion” when responding jokingly to recent unrest in the Benin Republic, instead of deploying the military.
Soyinka stressed that while world leaders typically receive protection, extending such heavy security to their children was inappropriate and undermined the country’s security framework.
He warned that such privilege must not be abused, saying presidential children “are not potentates” and should not enjoy security assets meant for national use.
