Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka Recounts Harrowing Abduction and Robbery Experience in Bucharest

By Joseph Iyaji | Akahi News

Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has shared a chilling account of how he was abducted and robbed during a recent visit to Bucharest, Romania, where he had been invited to attend the prestigious Sibiu International Theatre Festival (FITS). The celebrated writer revealed the ordeal in an exclusive interview with TheNEWS on Tuesday, 9th September, in Lagos.

According to Soyinka, the incident occurred shortly after his arrival in Bucharest, where he was scheduled to receive a star on the Walk of Fame award as the Guest of Honour, having been invited by Amb. Simona-Mirela Miculescu, President of the General Assembly of UNESCO.

A Night That Turned Surreal

Narrating the incident, Soyinka explained that his travel party had missed him at the airport after his flight landed at about 12:10 am. With the airport gradually emptying and no familiar faces in sight, he decided to take an official taxi to Novotel Hotel, where he was to spend the night before proceeding to Sibiu for the festival the following day.

However, what appeared to be a routine ride quickly spiralled into what Soyinka described as a “surreal and dangerous melodrama.”

“I got into the taxi, expecting to be driven straight to the hotel. But after driving for what seemed like forever, we stopped at a deserted spot around 1 am. That was when the driver brought out his POS machine, demanding that I enter my PIN. It became a battle of wills inside that car,” Soyinka recalled.

Battle of Wits in the Dead of the Night

Realising he had been lured into a trap by a criminal network posing as taxi operators, Soyinka attempted to delay the robbery by entering incorrect PINs, hoping that someone would appear to intervene.

“For nearly 30 minutes, I kept playing for time, deliberately entering the wrong PIN, hoping people would come out, maybe from the hotel or nearby streets. But the place was completely deserted. It was as if the entire world had gone to sleep,” he said.

Eventually, he was forced to surrender his correct PIN before being abandoned at the strange location. Later, a car sent by the festival organisers rescued him and conveyed him to Sibiu.

Police Reaction and Lingering Concerns

While the Romanian police reportedly launched investigations into the matter, Soyinka noted that he never heard of any concrete outcome, expressing disappointment at how the case was handled.

“I expected the authorities to at least bring the culprit to me for confrontation. But instead, there seemed to be a rush to douse the whole incident rather than tackle its implications,” he remarked.

Soyinka further revealed that he intends to document the episode in the next edition of his Intervention Series, to be published by Bookcraft, stressing that the issue transcends personal loss and raises broader concerns about crime, security, and accountability.

Not Just About the Money

The Nobel Laureate emphasised that the robbery was not merely a financial matter but a reflection of how organised criminal networks prey on innocent visitors under the guise of official services.

“It’s not about the money stolen. For me, it’s about the assault on human dignity and community security. The affair is not over. There are sufficient clues showing it was a coordinated network exploiting visitors,” he said.

Despite the trauma, Soyinka proceeded to attend the Sibiu International Theatre Festival, where he was honoured as planned. He, however, maintained that the experience left a lasting impression about the dangers lurking even in seemingly secure environments.

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