Soyinka's Residence Not Attacked, Herdsmen Trespassed On His Land – Son
Olaokun, son of Professor Wole Soyinka, Nobel laureate, says herders did not attack his father's house in Ogun State but trespassed on his land.
Olaokun disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.
He was reacting to a viral video on social media, in which it was alleged that the Nobel laureate's house was attacked by herders on Tuesday.
According to the narrator in the video, the herders were arrested and remanded at a police station in the state.
The younger Soyinka, however, said while it was true herdsmen and cows trespassed on his father's land, there was no attack or attempt to enter his father's residence.
He said, "Please send this information back down the chain and also if you know this Koiki Media who took the videos. Spreading such disinformation is dangerous.
"To repeat, I have confirmed that while cows did stray onto his land yesterday, there has been no attack, no violence and no attempt to enter the house.
"Kindly debunk this information where you can. We do not need confusion added to the already tense situation in the country."
The Southern and Middle Belt Forum had condemned what it called an invasion of the Abeokuta residence of Soyinka by Fulani herdsmen on Tuesday.
In a statement issued by the forum on Wednesday, signed by Yinka Odumakin (South-West); Chief Guy Ikokwu (South-East); Senator Bassey Henshaw (South-South); and Dr Isuwa Dogo (Middle Belt), the group described the invasion as a painful development.
The group also urged President Muhammadu Buhari to caution Fulani herdsmen in the country, saying their criminal activities could cause division in Nigeria.
The statement read, "Hours after Nobel laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, warned this country that the activities of Fulani herdsmen could lead to a civil war and urged President Buhari to denounce them clearly to show he is President of Federal Republic of Nigeria, the herdsmen stormed the elder stateman's residence in Abeokuta around 1 pm on Tuesday and caused serious scare before the professor called in the police.
"It is a painful development that herders will not even give a scant regard to a man of Soyinka stature in their madness let loose on Nigeria with no authority to call them to order.
"If there are people still living in denial about the intention of these criminals and those shielding them, there is no further evidence than this.
"We do not know what they have that they are playing this roulette but we are sure when a blind man says we have to settle this stoning ourselves, it is either he is stepping on or clutching one.
"We also want to warn them of the implications of hurting a man like Soyinka with the fragile unity of the country.
"Let President Buhari know that these criminals are working hard to make him the last President of One Nigeria."
The President, Women Arise and Centre for Change, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, had also condemned the alleged invasion, saying it showed Nigeria was dying and on the edge of a precipice.
Okei-Odumakin in a release on Wednesday noted that Soyinka had only last week warned about the herdsmen's violence but the Presidency dismissed the warning saying President Muhammadu Buhari would become a talkative if he replied every statement.
She said, "After a confirmation from Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, that some herders struck at his Abeokuta home on Tuesday at 1pm, leading to a siege on the world literary figure, we can now safely say that Nigeria is at the edge of the precipice.
"Soyinka had warned the country last weekend of how close Nigeria is to civil war if President Muhammadu Buhari did not act fast.
"Instead of the president acting, his media aides said he would become a talkative if he continued to speak on Miyetti Allah. Nigeria is dying before our very eyes and its death pang is what the attack on Soyinka symbolised.
"We hope security agencies will still have the guts to accost the assailants and bring them to justice, although the prognosis does not look good at all."