Prof. Stephen Ogunpitan of Lagos State University (LASU) has recounted how former military Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, ordered his arrest, dead or alive, in September 1995 over a book review.

Ogunpitan, a Professor of English in the Department of English, LASU, disclosed this on Tuesday while delivering the university’s 130th inaugural lecture at the Buba Marwa Auditorium, Main Campus, Ojo, Lagos.

The lecture had the title: “Narrative as Cartography: Enlarging Human Vision Through Fiction”.

He said the incident occurred during a period of political tension and suspicion under the Abacha administration.

According to him, some visitors arrived at the university, not for academic engagement, but with specific instructions to find and capture him.

“The order for that search had come from none other than the then Military Head of State, General Sani Abacha himself, with instructions that I be captured dead or alive,” he said.

He added that a book review he published in The Guardian attracted the attention of the former Head of State.

Ogunpitan said the review reportedly prompted a search for him on the university campus in September 1995.

The professor described the experience as an unusual chapter in his life, adding that it deepened his understanding of the relationship between power, fear and narrative.

He said a Fulbright Fellowship to Cornell University, United States, eventually took him beyond the reach of those searching for him.

Reflecting on the experience, Ogunpitan said it demonstrated the power of written words to challenge authority and influence public discourse.

“And so, I learned firsthand that in the battle between the sword and the pen, the pen not only wins, it can make a dictator lose sleep over a fabulous innocuous little novella,” he said.

He added humorously that a writer did not need an army to unsettle a dictator, but only a pen and a deadline.

“If you want to scare a dictator, you don’t need an army, just give a literature professor a pen and a deadline,” he said.

The don said the experience taught him that a single book review could have consequences beyond its immediate literary purpose.

He also cited Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, who said: “Books and all forms of writing are terror to those who wish to suppress the truth.”

Ogunpitan said narratives, particularly fiction, remained important tools for understanding human experiences, societal challenges and the complexities of human relationships.

Using the biblical story of Cain and Abel, he explained how narratives could illuminate issues such as jealousy, betrayal, sibling rivalry, domestic violence, guilt and punishment.

He said the story also established an archetypal pattern of crime-and-punishment narratives through the presentation of crime, motive, investigation, trial and punishment.

The don described science fiction as a powerful tool for anticipating future developments and expanding the boundaries of human imagination.

He said several scientific and technological advancements had been influenced by ideas initially explored through science fiction.

According to him, the genre had influenced developments in artificial intelligence, physics, computer science, communications, military strategy, bioengineering and space exploration.

He added that science fiction had also contributed to humanity’s imagination of technologies such as mobile phones.

Ogunpitan said science fiction provided a conceptual laboratory where writers explored possibilities before they became scientifically or technologically achievable.

He described writers as explorers who used imagination to construct possible futures and help humanity navigate uncertainties.

The professor also highlighted his contribution to literary studies through the development of a theory of the classics of war fiction.

He said the theoretical framework examined common literary, philosophical and humanistic concerns in fictional representations of wars across different historical and cultural settings.

According to him, the framework brought American and Nigerian civil war narratives into comparative conversation.

He said the approach challenged the dominance of Western literary traditions in theoretical scholarship and recognised African literature as a source of globally relevant literary theories.

Ogunpitan said his contribution also supported the decolonisation of comparative literature by affirming the intellectual authority of African literary traditions.

He urged universities to reposition literature as an essential tool for moral, civic and intellectual development.

He also recommended stronger integration of literature with science, technology, psychology and medicine to promote interdisciplinary research and address societal challenges.

The professor urged educators to encourage reading as a lifelong habit rather than merely an examination requirement.

He said teaching English without adequate literary content was ineffective, describing it as “pushing a car to start without an engine”.

He also called on policymakers and national development planners to support literary projects, translations and archives to promote national consciousness and social cohesion.

Ogunpitan said fiction remained indispensable to developing empathy, ethical reasoning, cultural awareness and imaginative problem-solving.

He concluded that narratives remained among humanity’s greatest technologies of vision, helping people understand their origins, identities and possible futures.

ASA