The family of executed environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa has requested a comprehensive review of the judicial proceedings that led to his controversial execution nearly 30 years ago, following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decision to grant presidential pardons and confer national honours on the Ogoni Nine.
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In a statement released Thursday by Noo Saro-Wiwa on behalf of the family, the Saro-Wiwas acknowledged the presidential pardon and national honours bestowed upon Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni activists who were executed in 1995 during the military regime of General Sani Abacha.
President Tinubu conferred the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) on Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) on Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo, Daniel Gbokoo, Paul Levura, Felix Nuate, Baribor Bera, Barinem Kiobel, John Kpuinen, and Ledum Mitee in recognition of their peaceful campaign for environmental justice and human rights in the Niger Delta.
The family expressed appreciation for the honours while noting that the recognition symbolises the innocence of the executed activists and reinforces the global consensus that the 1995 judgement was fundamentally flawed. They described the executions as “judicial murder” and maintained that their father and compatriots were peaceful activists who sought to highlight environmental devastation caused by oil drilling operations in Ogoniland.
“Our father and his compatriots were innocent and peaceful activists who drew the attention of the world to the plight of the Ogoni people, who suffered environmental devastation due to oil drilling by Shell,” the family statement read.
While thanking President Tinubu for taking what they termed “the right action,” the family specifically requested a formal review of the judicial proceedings that led to the controversial executions. They argued that such a review would provide healing and prevent future miscarriages of justice against citizens exercising their constitutional rights.
The Saro-Wiwa family believes that a comprehensive judicial review would lead to complete exoneration of the Ogoni Nine and serve as a safeguard against similar injustices befalling future activists and protesters.
The executions of Ken Saro-Wiwa and his eight companions in November 1995 drew international condemnation and led to Nigeria’s suspension from the Commonwealth of Nations. The case became a symbol of environmental activism and human rights struggles in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta region.
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