Nobel laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, has criticised what he described as the excessive deployment of security operatives around the families of people in the governments.

Soyinka, during the 20th Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) Awards in Lagos, recounted his recent encounter with what he termed a “battalion-level” security detail attached to the president’s son (Seyi Tinubu) at a hotel in Ikoyi, the previous day.

Soyinka said that he was overwhelmed by the sheer number of heavily armed personnel he saw attached to the president’s son :

“I was coming out of my hotel, and I saw what looked like a film set.

“A young man detached himself from the actors, came over and greeted me politely. When I asked if they were shooting a film, he said no. I looked around and there was nearly a whole battalion occupying the hotel, ” said Soyinka.

According to him, about 15 heavily armed officers formed the president’s son’s security cordon—an arrangement he found alarming.

“When I got back in my car and asked the driver who the young man was, he told me. And I saw this SWAT team, heavily armed to the teeth. They looked sufficient to take over a neighbouring small country or city like Benin,” he said.

He emphasised that while heads of state often have families, such privilege must never be abused or allowed to distort national security structures.

“Children should know their place. They are not potentates; they are not heads of state.

“The security architecture of a nation suffers when we see such heavy devotion of security to one young individual,” he said.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the formal defection of Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as a “self-inflicted injury,” insisting that the governor voluntarily walked into the political trap that led to his exit from the party.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, the PDP invoked the Latin legal principle *Volenti non fit injuria* (“to one who is willing, no harm can be done”) to argue that Governor Fubara cannot claim abandonment or lack of support after choosing the path that culminated in his defection.

“Everyone who has followed the developments that culminated in this uneventful defection will recall that the Governor willingly travelled the path that took him to this destination,” the statement read.

“Having done so voluntarily, he cannot turn around and accuse our party, or any other person or group, of abandoning or not protecting him.

”The PDP commended civil society organisations and Nigerians who, it said, “freely stood up in his defence” throughout the protracted political crisis in Rivers State, adding that Governor Fubara “should have nothing less than praise” for those who supported him until he “capitulated.

”The party expressed pity for the governor and prayed he does not develop “Stockholm Syndrome, where a victim falls in love with his captor,” while wishing him well in his new political home.

In a broader critique, the PDP described the Rivers crisis as evidence of the “dysfunctional nature of our democracy,” where powerful individuals wield federal might to suffocate political opponents and force them into submission.

“Democracy is terribly threatened by acts of this kind,” the statement continued, urging all well-meaning Nigerians to condemn what it called the “progressive decline of democratic norms.

”The opposition party further accused the ruling APC of pursuing a “one-party state” agenda and deliberately constricting Nigeria’s political space, warning that the country is sliding toward “electoral authoritarianism.”

“Nigerians and the global community must note that democracy is under severe attack in Nigeria. Everyone must rise together to oppose this ignoble trip toward electoral authoritarianism,” the PDP declared.

Governor Fubara’s defection marks the latest chapter in the long-running political feud between him and his predecessor, Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, who remains a prominent figure in the PDP.

The Nigerian Senate has swiftly approved President Bola Tinubu’s request to deploy troops to the Republic of Benin on a peacekeeping mission, aimed at restoring stability following a foiled coup attempt in the neighboring country.

The decision was announced during Tuesday’s plenary session after Senate President Godswill Akpabio read Tinubu’s formal letter, which invoked Section 5(5) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and consultations with the National Defence Council.

The chamber immediately resolved into a Committee of the Whole for deliberations, leading to a unanimous vote of approval with lawmakers responding “aye.”

In the letter, titled “Deployment of Nigerian Troops to the Republic of Benin for Peace Mission,” Tinubu highlighted the urgent need for intervention amid an “attempted unconstitutional seizure of power and disruption and destabilisation of democratic institutions” in Benin.

He emphasized Nigeria’s historical ties of brotherhood with Benin and its obligations under the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to promote collective security.

The move follows a dramatic coup bid on Sunday, when rogue soldiers briefly seized a television station in Cotonou, Benin’s economic capital, declaring President Patrice Talon removed from office.

The plotters, styling themselves the “Military Committee for Refoundation,” were quickly repelled by loyal forces, with several arrests made. Nigeria had already provided emergency support, including fighter jets, at Benin’s request to thwart the incursion.

ECOWAS has since ordered the deployment of its Standby Force, comprising troops from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana, to bolster regional stability.

Tinubu’s request aligns with this framework, underscoring the potential risks to Nigeria, including refugee influxes across shared borders and heightened criminality if instability persists.

Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central) moved for urgent consideration, while Akpabio praised the president’s adherence to constitutional protocols.

“Injury to one is injury to all,” Akpabio stated, noting the mission’s role in safeguarding democracy and preventing broader threats to Nigeria’s borders. A formal letter of consent will be transmitted to Tinubu immediately, clearing the path for full operational deployment.

The approval comes amid a wave of instability in West Africa, with recent coups in Niger, Burkina Faso, and Guinea-Bissau raising alarms about democratic backsliding in the region. Analysts view Nigeria’s involvement as a critical test of Tinubu’s leadership in ECOWAS, where he serves as chairman.

Reactions from opposition lawmakers were muted during the session, with the focus on swift action to avert escalation. Defence Headquarters is expected to outline operational details soon, as Nigerian forces prepare to join the multinational effort.