His Excellency General Sani Abacha
President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces
State House
Abuja
Nigeria

Vienna, 11 November 1994

Your Excellency,

The International Press Institute (IPI), protests most strongly against the recent seizure of Nobel prize-winning author Wole Soyinka’s United Nations passport and the travel ban imposed on him.

We are informed that on 3 November 1994 security officers at Lagos Airport prevented the Nigerian Nobel laureate from travelling to Paris on his way to give lectures in several European countries.

Mr. Soyinka, recently appointed as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) because of his human rights work and his defence of freedom, has repeatedly demanded that General Sani Abacha hand over power to Chief Moshood K.O. Abiola, who is widely believed to have won last year’s annulled presidential elections and is presently being detained for treason. It is the second time that Mr. Soyinka has been prevented from travelling abroad.

We are most concerned about this incident, which is regarded as part of the rapidly escalating campaign against freedom of expression in Nigeria. Over the past several months your Government has forcibly closed down and formally suspended the country’s three most influential media houses, the Concord, Punch and Guardian groups. At least fourteen publications have been banned by decree and more than 18 journalists detained, beaten, or deported because of their critical reporting. Thousands of journalists have been driven out of work.

IPI, representing publishers, editors-in-chief and leading journalists from newspapers, magazines, broadcasting organisations and news agencies in 89 countries, strongly urges you to ensure that Mr. Soyinka is allowed to travel abroad without further obstruction. Furthermore, we request that your security officers refrain from harassing, arresting or otherwise interfering with the work of journalists in Nigeria.

We thank you for your attention.

Yours sincerely,

Johann P. Fritz
Director