Zamfara killings: Soyinka seeks punishment for hate preachers

 

Noble laureate, Wole Soyinka, on Thursday warned that religious violence would persist inside the country, till the preachers of religious intolerance were prosecuted and made to make amends for their offences.

Soyinka, who stated this even as handing over a lecture on  “tradition at danger” at the college of Benin, Edo kingdom, blamed the outbreak of violence and killings of innocent men and women via spiritual extremists on what he defined as the “toxin” injected into them by way of their spiritual leaders.

The Nobel laureate, who condemned the latest murder of eight college students of the Abdu Gusau Polytechnic, Talata Mafara, in Zamfara kingdom, referred to that such leaders were vicariously liable for the destruction as a result of their followers.

He explained, “in my opinion, it's miles that toxin injected into the social consciousness of the fans of that religion, which has resulted in the murder of its residents. Is there some thing called vicarious guilt or now not?

“ought to we be surprised and start shouting aloud and condemning some stupid young fellows who took the regulation into their own fingers and killed, burnt eight people alive, who have been not even a part of the unique state of affairs?

“I call them stupid and a disgrace to their college, Abdu Gusau Polytechnic. I say they are silly and a disgrace to mastering everywhere because even a child who leaves in a network have to understand  that if you want to create a extreme combat among  people, simply say that, ‘That man or woman whom you're concentrated on has abused your mom.’ it's miles as essential as that.”

Soyinka also attributed the emergence of the Boko Haram sect “to religious coaching that incites violent behaviour and intolerance to the essential rights of every citizen.”

“it's miles this form of mentality that created Boko Haram and all its seedling,–the feel of intolerance, the failure to remember the fact that you're just some other member of the society and you have no right over every other human being.

“My view is that we can whinge, we can protest, we are able to condemn as much as we want. until folks who are responsible even of vicarious legal responsibility, while a murder is committed, are delivered to ebook and made to apologise to the whole kingdom and do penance, such can not prevent,” he delivered.

in advance, the Vice-Chancellor, college of Benin, Prof. Faraday Orumwense, had described the lecture collection as apt and great to the cultural history of the  historical Benin kingdom and beneficial to contributors of workforce and students of the organization.

He noted that the event become considered one of his highbrow hallmarks and initiatives to go away an indelible footprint inside the records of the institution.