According to a report by Vanguard published on Thursday, May 21, 2026, Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka revealed that he once stopped late human rights activist Beko Ransome-Kuti from attempting to assassinate former military Head of State Sani Abacha during the struggle for the restoration of democracy in Nigeria.
Soyinka recounted the incident while reflecting on the tense political climate under Abacha’s military regime, a period marked by widespread repression, political persecution, and pro-democracy resistance across the country.
According to Soyinka, he discovered that Beko possessed a special type of firearm designed to avoid detection by security screening machines. Concerned about the situation, Soyinka said he questioned the activist about his intentions regarding the weapon.
He explained that Beko openly told him he intended to use the gun to kill Abacha. Soyinka said he immediately warned him about the likely consequences of such an action, stressing that even if the assassination attempt succeeded, Beko himself would almost certainly not survive.
The Nobel Laureate stated that he tried to convince Beko to abandon the plan, emphasizing the dangers involved and the possible aftermath of such an operation during the highly sensitive political atmosphere of the time.
Soyinka added that he eventually intervened directly by taking the weapon away from Beko in order to prevent the situation from escalating further.
In his exact words, “Beko said, ‘I'm going to kill Abacha with it.’ I said, ‘Beko, how do you plan to get close to Abacha?’ He said, ‘I'll manage it somehow.’ I said, ‘Beko, if you even succeed, you know you're not getting out alive. I have to tell you.’ I disarmed him.”
The revelation has generated renewed public interest in the history of Nigeria’s pro-democracy struggle during the Abacha era and the risks faced by act.
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