Rivers crisis: Mbu should be in jail - Soyinka

Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, on Thursday, took a swipe at the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Joseph Mbu, saying that by now, he ought to be in jail. Soyinka, at a memorial in honour of the late president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, said Mbu negated everything that had to do with Mandela, adding that he was a travesty of Mandela’s blessing to the African continent. “It is a depressing coincidence that while we are opening this place with the central figure of  Neslon Mandela, here we have in the other part of the country, the travesty of Mandela’s blessing, a complete and shameful travesty of what I like to refer to as the Mandela’s principle,” he said. Speaking on the implication of what the Rivers police command did to Senator Magnus Abe last week, Soyinka said “commissioner or no commissioner, Inspector General of Police or not, any policeman or law enforcement officer who fires even rubber bullet at innocent citizens holding a meeting and causing others to be injured or traumatised should be in jail by now, no matter how highly placed.” He said it was painful that there had not been a reaction of the presidency on the incident, adding that even the reaction from the Senate was that of trepidation. “It is more shameful that up till now, we have not heard any response from Aso Rock. Even as far as I am concerned, the response from the Senate is trepid. I wish to pass a message to President Jonathan that there is fire in Aso Villa,” he said, while declaring that the suspect of the impending fire was Mbu. continued