Port harcourt: The Ijaw National Congress (INC) on Thursday joined the global call for the formal exoneration of Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni Eight of the allegations for which they were convicted and executed. Prof. Benjamin Okaba, Global President of INC, made the call during his Solidarity Message on the 30th anniversary of the execution of the Ogoni Nine.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni activists, collectively known as the ‘Ogoni Nine,’ were executed by the Nigerian military government in November 1995 following a trial. They were convicted of being complicit in the murders of four rival Ogoni chiefs. The activists had been campaigning against environmental damage and the exploitation of oil resources by the Shell Oil Company in their homeland, which led to their execution drawing international condemnation and sanctions against Nigeria.
Okaba emphasized that the 30th anniversary should be more than a ritual; it must serve as a re-dedication to the cause for which the activists died. He reaffirmed the demands of the Ogoni people and the broader Niger Delta, calling for the formal exoneration and justice, not pardon, of Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni Eight. Okaba also called for a full, transparent, and criminal investigation into Shell’s complicity in the human rights violations in Ogoniland, as highlighted by organizations like Amnesty International.
He further demanded the immediate and credible cleanup of Ogoniland, as recommended by UNEP, and stated that the exercise should be managed by a credible, internationally-managed body to ensure its effectiveness and accountability. Okaba insisted that Shell and other oil companies be held legally and financially liable for the environmental destruction they caused. He expressed the INC’s support for the Ogoni people’s right to benefit from their land’s resources and called for the repeal of laws like the Land Use Act and the Petroleum Act that deny beneficial ownership of resources.
The INC global president noted that the spirit of Saro-Wiwa lives on in the ongoing peaceful resistance of the Ogoni people, the work of environmental defenders globally, and the INC’s commitment to champion the Ijaw cause. Okaba stressed the importance of engaging the state, International Oil Companies (IOCs), and international agencies to demand sociopolitical inclusiveness, environmental remediation, and infrastructural development.
In a message of solidarity to the families of the executed activists, especially Ken Saro-Wiwa’s family, Okaba expressed shared pain and loss, while acknowledging their steadfastness as a source of inspiration.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that President Bola Tinubu granted a posthumous pardon to Saro-Wiwa and eight other activists executed in 1995. The pardon, announced in June 2025, was granted alongside the conferring of national honors on the activists.