Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka has reflected on his survival during the regime of the late dictator, Gen. Sani Abacha, describing it as a “bit of a miracle.”
In an interview with TheNEWS to mark his 90th birthday, Soyinka recounted how Abacha was “mad” and “obsessed” with him, leading many people to suffer for associating with him.
Soyinka shared a story about a driver who once worked for Abacha and later approached his new boss, expressing a desire to meet Soyinka, the man who had given Abacha “such nightmares.” The driver had overheard Abacha and his visitor discussing Soyinka and wanted to know the person behind the name that triggered such a strong reaction.
Soyinka also revealed that Abacha’s regime set up fake consulates and trading companies to trap and monitor him and others in Atlanta. Due to security concerns, he had to be accompanied by policemen when flying out and returning.
“One was situated in Bayswater, not far from where Muhammadu Buhari attempted to kidnap Umaru Dikko in the UK. It was purely to trap us. Several security units of police added us to their watch list. In Atlanta, they set up a fake consulate. We fought to ensure it was not established. The envelope that passed to some city counselors was heavy. They eventually succumbed to the pressure to set up that fake consulate.
“The President of my university insisted that any time I was flying out, I had to be accompanied by policemen. On returning, they would send the police to pick me up right at the door of the plane. It was quite touching,” Soyinka recounted.
