Treason charges against Sowore depressing – Soyinka

Nobel laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, has berated the government of President Muhammadu Buhari for filing treason charges against detained publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore.

The Nobel Laureate who spoke in a statement, Sunday, said the Buhari government has “attained an unprecedented level of paranoia” over the “improbable” charges that include “insulting” President Buhari.

“This is utterly depressing news. So, the Sowore affair has moved beyond harassment and taken on a sinister direction. Outside the country where I happened to be engaged at the moment, I can testify that the immediate reaction around me was to dismiss this as yet another grotesque product of Fake News, of which Nigerians have become the greatest practitioners. I confess that I also joined in this school of thought – at he start,” Soyinka said.

“Further checks have however confirmed that this government has indeed attained an unprecedented level of paranoia. I do not believe that the Justice department itself believes in these improbable charges, as formally publicised.

“So, once again, we inscribe n our annals another season of treasonable felony, History still guards some lessons we have yet to digest, much less from which to learn. Welcome to the Club, Mr. Omoyele Sowore.”