NATION

Ogoni 9: Ijaw body seeks trial of judge, others behind execution

The Ijaw National Congress, INC, has urged the Federal Government to try those behind the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni leaders in 1995.

Gen. Sani Abacha, as Nigeria’s leader in 1995, had ordered the trial and subsequent execution of the environmentalist, Saro-Wiwa and eight others.

Prof Benjamin Okaba, the President of the INC, in his statement on Saturday, urged the federal government to apologise to the Ogoni people for the what he termed wrongful killing of the Saro-wiwa and his compatriots.

“Now that the Federal Government has suddenly realised its wrongs and equally expressed willingness to seek reconciliation and national integration, we urge them to courageously go the whole hog as follows: bring to book all persons, including the presiding judge and other officers that were directly and indirectly involved in the unfortunate incident (murder of the Ogoni 9).

“Justice should also be extended to the innocent Ogoni youth and other Niger Deltans who were unlawfully massacred by state operatives for merely displaying green leaves in condemnation of the ghastly act.”

Okaba noted that the last few words of Saro-Wiwa, ‘You can kill the messenger, but not the message’, remained very apt as Ogoniland, Ijaw nation and the entire Niger Delta continued to suffer injustices, inequalities and rape of their freedom and right to control their God-given resources.

TheCornet reported President Muhammadu Buhari as urging Ogoni leaders to protect oil pipelines and national assets in the region.

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