January 11, 2024: Renowned Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka has expressed deep apprehension over the safety of former Power Minister Olu Agunloye following his remand in Kuje prison pending the hearing of his bail application. Agunloye was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at an Abuja High Court on Wednesday on corruption charges related to the failed multi-billion-dollar Mambilla Hydropower Project.
In a statement released by his publicist, Jahman Anikulapo, Soyinka raised justifiable concerns about Agunloye’s safety during his prison remand, drawing parallels with the tragic fate of Agunloye’s predecessor, the late Bola Ige. Ige was murdered in his bedroom by professional assassins while his police protection detail was absent at a nearby eatery. The killers remain unidentified and at large to this day.
Soyinka emphasized that Agunloye had previously collaborated with him in efforts, both within and outside routine police activities, to unveil the perpetrators behind Bola Ige’s murder. He warned against complacency and stated that forces desperate enough to replicate Ige’s fate could find it easier due to Agunloye’s sudden remand in prison.
The Nobel laureate underscored his call for an independent and non-partisan commission to thoroughly investigate the Mambilla Hydropower project scandal. He deemed the latest development as both sinister and alarming, urging a comprehensive inquiry into the issue that has hindered the nation’s energy needs for the past two decades.
Soyinka cautioned that Agunloye’s role as a pivotal witness made any harm befalling him while in custody have loud, clear, and unambiguous implications. He stressed the need for transparency and accountability in the handling of Agunloye’s case, calling for a swift resolution to alleviate the concerns surrounding the former minister’s safety.
