Renowned Nobel laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka has expressed deep concern for the safety of former Minister of Power and Steel, Olu Agunloye, who was remanded in Kuje Correctional Centre after pleading not guilty to corruption charges brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Soyinka drew parallels with the tragic fate of the late former Minister of Justice, Bola Ige, who was assassinated in 2001, and suggested that there might be forces working to subject Agunloye to a similar outcome.
He pointed out the abrupt decision to remand Agunloye in prison and highlighted the need for vigilance regarding his safety.
Recalling his collaboration with Agunloye to investigate the assassination of Bola Ige, Soyinka called for an independent, non-partisan commission to publicly probe the decades-long Mambilla power project scandal.
He emphasized that if any harm befalls Agunloye while in custody, it would have significant and alarming implications.
Agunloye, who served under former President Olusegun Obasanjo between 1999 and 2003, was declared wanted by the EFCC in December 2023 over allegations of forgery and corruption related to the Mambilla project.
Obasanjo accused Agunloye of fraudulently awarding the Mambilla contract without Federal Executive Council approval, a claim vigorously denied by the former minister.
