The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) says the Nigerian Government should not shy away from acknowledging the innocence of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni indigenes executed by the state during the regime of General Sanni Abacha. MOSOP says it was far more important to acknowledge the truth of the wrongful executions to achieve healing and lay the issues around the 1995 executions to rest than being continuously hunted by the criticisms of the executions.
President of MOSOP, Fegalo Nsuke, who made this call in a statement today, Thursday, June 18, 2025, said the act of admitting the wrongs of the past and clearing the names of the innocent were fundamental to total healing and justice which are necessary to help the Ogoni people better recover from its painful past and no longer be scared of further repression by the Nigerian State.
Nsuke further stated that while the pains and consequences of the 1995 executions are irreversible, genuine acts of healing and reconciliation were necessary to move the Ogoni community forward, overcome the difficulties created by the conflicts and move the Ogoni community in the path of development.
Nsuke noted that one of the fundamental snags to the resolution of the Ogoni issue is the wrongful execution of November 10, 1995 and we believe that the government should be courageous to address this issue and bring healing, especially to the affected families.
Nsuke commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the national honours conferred on the nine executed men noting that the act is historic and exceptional. He said no Nigerian leader has come this far in search for a solution to the Ogoni problem. However, while noting that the national honours conferred on the nine men murdered by the Abacha regime were a tacit acknowledgement of their innocence, it does not clearly address the issues of wrongful execution.
Nsuke therefore urged the Nigerian President to further demonstrate the courage, for which he has been known, to set in motion, a process that reviews the entire military tribunal processes, with the view of determining the innocence of the “9” executed men or otherwise and unraveling the immediate and remote causes and circumstances which led to the executions..
“Ken Saro-Wiwa is a celebrated Ogoni, even in death, a hero and patriot and the Ogoni people will not abandon Ken Saro-Wiwa. The Nigerian government will need to understand the sensitivity of this situation, clear the cloud of injustice surrounding his execution and seek the best avenues to clear his name along with those of the other eight”
“A pardon is a first step, however, it does not address the issue of their wrongful execution. The Ogoni people understand that Saro-Wiwa and the others were unjustly murdered and they simply want the government to clear them of the false murder charges. That should go beyond a state pardon, which inadvertently supports the idea of a legitimate conviction and punishment” he said.
The MOSOP leader noted that there should be no shying away from seeking genuine reconciliation in Ogoni. He noted that the desired reconciliation will be achieved with the truth.
