A renowned global activist group, Amnesty International, has criticised the pardoning of members of the Ogoni 9 by President Bola Tinubu on Thursday, saying it falls far short of real justice.
Yesterday, as part of the Democracy Day celebration, President Tinubu pardoned the nine men from Ogoniland in Rivers State and conferred upon them posthumous national honours.
However, responding to the announcement that the pardon, Amnesty International Nigeria’s Director, Mr Isa Sanusi, said, “This is welcome news but it falls far short of the justice the Ogoni Nine need and deserve – the Nigerian government must recognise formally that they are innocent of any crime and fully exonerate them.”
Mr Ken Saro-Wiwa, Mr Barinem Kiobel, Mr John Kpuinen, Mr Baribor Bera, Mr Felix Nuate, Mr Paul Levula, Mr Saturday Dobee, Mr Nordu Eawo and Mr Daniel Gbokoo, were executed after a trial on November 10, 1995. The Nigerian government under the regime of General Sani Abacha accused them of involvement in murder.
According to Amnesty International, the nine men had in fact been put on trial because they had challenged the devastating impact of oil production by Shell in the Ogoni region of Niger Delta.
“The Ogoni Nine, led by Ken Saro-Wiwa, Nigeria’s leading author and campaigner, were brutally executed by a regime that wanted to hide the crimes of Shell and other oil companies that were destroying – and continue to destroy – the lives and livelihoods of tens of thousands of people across the Niger Delta as a result of their devastating oil spills and leaks,” Mr Sanusi noted.
“The execution of these activists nearly 30 years ago has given the Nigerian government and oil companies, including Shell, licence to crackdown on protests and intimidate people in the Niger Delta who have been demanding justice and an end to their toxic pollution.
“Full justice for the Ogoni Nine is only a first step – much more needs to be done to get justice for communities in the Niger Delta, including holding Shell and other oil companies to account for the damage they have done and continue to do. They must pay the Niger Delta’s communities full compensation for the devastation their oil spills and leaks have caused and clean up their toxic mess before they leave the region,” he added.