Nobel laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka has criticised the “heavy security” attached to President Bola Tinubu’s son, Seyi, describing the scale of his escort as excessive and unjustifiable.

Speaking at the 20th Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) Awards in Lagos on Tuesday, the playwright expressed shock at the size of the security team accompanying Seyi Tinubu.

“I was so astonished that I started looking for the national security adviser. I said track him down for me… I’ve just seen something I can’t believe. Do you mean that a child of the head of state goes around with an army for his protection?” Soyinka said.

He added that his personal inquiries later confirmed that the president’s son routinely moves with “a battalion” of heavily armed soldiers.

“Children must understand their place. They are not elected leaders, and they must not inherit the architecture of state power simply by proximity,” he stressed.

Soyinka urged President Tinubu to reduce the security details attached to Seyi Tinubu, noting that such personnel are better deployed to areas where they are urgently needed, especially as the country continues to battle rising insecurity.

“With the size of his escort, if a major insurgency were to break out, perhaps the president should ask Seyi to go and handle it,” he said jokingly. “But beyond the humour lies a serious matter of priority and fairness.”

The Nobel laureate’s remarks have stirred conversations on the appropriate use of state security resources and the need for public officials to avoid excesses.