Nobel laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, commenting on the charges of treason which was filed against the publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, by the federal government said that the Muhammadu Buhari administration has attained an “unprecedented level of paranoia”.
The Federal Government had on Friday, filed seven counts of treasonable felony and money laundering against Sowore, who had been in detention 45 days, on the order of Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court Abuja.
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The charges were filed a day before the expiration of the detention order of the Federal High Court in Abuja, following the motion of the Department of State Services (DSS).
In a statement on Saturday, the Nobel laureate said that the nation had failed to learn from past experiences
“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 the start.
“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 in 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,” Soyinka said.
Source: Vanguard