Nigeria's Nobel Laureate, Soyinka, says Boko Haram plans to kill him - Nigeria's Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka has said he is one of the prominent Nigerians who have been marked for assassination by the Islamic sect Boko Haram, the PM News reported Monday.

The paper, which circulates in the afternoon mostly in the economic capital city of Lagos, said Prof. Soyinka made the disclosure in an interview published in the current edition of the weekly magazine, TheNEWS. Both PM News and TheNEWS are under the same stable

However, Prof. Soyinka said he could not be cowed into submission by the Boko Haram or any other violent group.

He also said he was not opposed to dialogue between the government and the sect, but only if it made its demands known.

“I believe that one should not beg for existence. If the price of not coming to table is that you want to eliminate me, and you can do so, please do so. I am 77.

“Please, come to the debating table, but you will not persuade me simply because you have the capacity to blow me and my family up. You can simply go ahead, blow us up if you think that is the way you can do your conversation. But you will not bomb me to sit with you at table,” he said.

The renowned playwright said he had reported the plan to assassinate him to the security agencies, but expressed disappointment that the security operatives had not taken action on the threat.

Prof. Soyinka has been very critical of the sect, which has killed 935 people since launching its violent campaign in July 2009, according to Human Rights Watch.

Pana 07/02/2012