Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has claimed that the lust for power by some Nigerian politicians drove them into supporting the activities of Boko Haram insurgents, stressing that they can go to any length in their pursuit for power.
Soyinka, who made the allegation in the United Kingdom also alleged that the sect has turned against the forces that supported its emergence.
He said, “This is what is happening right now: in Nigeria, and I think that many people are admitting it today, there were politicians who actually supported what Boko Haram was doing.
“They supported them for various reasons because in their lust for power and pursuit for power, they were ready to sacrifice anything or to ally with anything, and of course they found that they have been turned against (by) the very forces that helped them.
“This is how Boko Haram really acquired its power, its nuisance value, and its effect on the society, because it had backing from even what we call mainstream Islam.
“That is not the situation today: most people are beginning to realise that we are dealing with a party of death, their ideology is death and there is only one way to deal with people like that. If you say you disagree with their ideology, you ensure you hit them before they hit you.”
Soyinka accused the immediate past President, Goodluck Jonathan of approaching the disappearance of the over 200 Chibok girls with much levity.
“The government refused to accept this fact until it was too late. For at least two weeks, it would have been possible from all reports to rescue those girls,” Soyinka said.
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