Soyinka Faults ‘Battalion-Size’ Escort for Seyi Tinubu, Calls It Misuse of National Security Resources

Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka has criticised what he described as a “battalion-size” security detail attached to Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Tinubu, arguing that such an arrangement reflects a troubling misuse of Nigeria’s security assets at a time of rising insecurity and economic strain.

Soyinka made the comments on Tuesday in Lagos during the 20th Wole Soyinka Awards for Investigative Reporting.

He recounted stepping out of a hotel in Ikoyi to find a large number of heavily armed operatives positioned outside — a scene he initially assumed was part of a movie set. He later learned that the extensive security formation was for Seyi Tinubu and described the deployment as “excessive for a private citizen.”

Concerned by what he saw, Soyinka said he reached out to National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu to express worries about the “unhealthy concentration” of national security personnel around the president’s son. He warned that such practices distort security priorities, fuel public resentment, and leave many communities vulnerable to banditry, kidnapping and violent attacks.

Referencing the recently foiled coup attempt in the Benin Republic, Soyinka joked that the president could have avoided deploying Nigerian troops and aircraft if the same “troops” guarding his son had been sent instead.

“Let’s not overdo things. They are not potentates,” he cautioned, emphasising that state security resources “belong to the entire nation and not to a privileged few.”

His remarks come shortly after President Tinubu ordered the withdrawal of police officers from unauthorised VIP escorts — a move meant to strengthen frontline policing and improve public safety. The heavy security presence around Seyi Tinubu has reignited questions about how consistently this directive is being enforced.

The conversation is unfolding as Nigeria recently approved a military deployment to the Benin Republic following the failed coup, further highlighting contrasts between regional security commitments and the extensive protection provided to certain individuals domestically.

Soyinka’s comments have since gone viral, with many Nigerians on social media echoing his call for transparent, equitable and strictly public-interest use of national security resources.

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