Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka has urged President Bola Tinubu to begin fresh investigations into the unresolved killings of notable Nigerians who were part of the pro-democracy movement during the June 12 era.
Speaking at an event held at Freedom Park in Lagos on Saturday, Soyinka named journalist Dele Giwa, former Attorney General Bola Ige, and pro-democracy activist Kudirat Abiola among the key figures whose deaths should be re-investigated.
The meeting, titled “June 12: Romancing the Embers,” was organized to remember the annulled 1993 presidential election, a turning point in Nigeria’s democratic journey. Soyinka said reopening these cases is necessary to bring justice and give closure to the families and the nation.
He noted that the government should not just celebrate June 12 with yearly events or speeches but should also pursue justice for those who lost their lives in the fight for democracy.
According to him, “June 12 is not a day to simply remember the past with words, but a chance to act and give meaning to the sacrifices made.”
Soyinka said he would dedicate any honour given to him on June 12 to the late Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti, describing him as a brave and intelligent defender of human rights who stood firm during difficult times.
“He was not just a medical doctor. He was a man of action, a fearless fighter for democracy who took many risks to support justice,” Soyinka said.
The professor also spoke about former military president Ibrahim Babangida’s recently released memoir titled A Journey in Service, which was published in February 2025. Soyinka described the 405-page book as incomplete.
He called on Babangida to write a second volume and be more open about the events surrounding the annulment of the 1993 election, including the roles played by certain political figures, military officers, and traditional rulers.
“I called him (Babangida) and I said that your memoir is not finished. And I said, isn’t it about time that we name names in this matter? Babangida’s book should be read side by side with Professor Omo Omoruyi’s. Omoruyi was there.
“I told him, you haven’t finished your book. You have to write another one. That’s my position,” Soyinka said.
Omoruyi, a close ally of Babangida, had written The Tale of June 12: The Betrayal of the Democratic Rights of Nigerians, which gave a separate account of the political turmoil of that time.
Soyinka described Babangida as “a general without an army” and added that Nigerians deserve to know the full truth.
“We know of a certain move which he made. We know those who visited him at the time, those who added their weight to the annulment, both within the military and the civil. We know the royal fathers who went to visit and said on no account will they accept the implementation of that election.
“We know all of that. It’s not me who should write it. It’s he. He owes it to the nation,” he added.
