₦airaland Forum

Pardon is good...most especially for the re-entry of exploration of oll and the cleanup of oil spill.....

They were hanged in 1995 by the worst regime in Nigeria's history led by the most wicked Head os State ever, Sanni Abacha

They protested the SPDC's pollution of their land, which stopped them from operating. Not sure if the protest led to loss of lives, but Abacha arrested them and eventually killed them despite all appeals to stop the killing.

Princeton92:
Please can someone tell me about these guys OGONI 9…

abc[b]115:
"Furthermore, I also confer posthumous national honours on Ken Saro Wiwa (CON), the leader of the Ogoni Nine and his fellow travellers, Saturday Dobee (OON), Nordu Eawo (OON), Daniel Gbooko (OON), Paul Levera (OON), Felix Nuate (OON), Baribor Bera (OON), Barinem Kiobel (OON), and John Kpuine (OON).

I shall also be exercising my powers under the prerogative of mercy to grant these national heroes a full pardon, together with others whose names shall be announced later in conjunction with the National Council of State."

President Bola Tinubu

This is indeed quite emotional for me as a witness of the sequence of events back in the 1990s that led to the death sentence on the Ogoni icons who had acid poured on their bodies to quicken the disintegration of their bodies in the common grave. Ledum Mittee was very fortunate to have escaped this fate that befell his kinsmen back in the memorable and wild years of the 1990s and he is alive today to get that honor or award today.

I indeed appreciate President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his team of advisers for at least removing this highly embarrassing stain that the very corrupt dictator called Sani Abacha (who stole over 4 billion USD of Nigeria's money through the Central Bank of Nigeria into his offshore bank accounts in the Caribbean, Europe and elsewhere) brought to Nigeria and the Ogoni people in the 1990s despite a strong international pressure from the United States, the United Kingdom and many more countries to STOP the executions. Radio Kudirat (formerly Radio Freedom) then got an extra support and funding from the British government with the use of the BBC World Service HQ at Bush House in London as the transmission site back in the late 1990s (with former Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State as the Radio Director in London) because of the killing of Ken Saro-Wiwa, his Ogoni kinsmen and Kudirat Abiola as well in Lagos State (tollgate) area by Sergent Barnabas Jabila (Sergent Rogers) from Southern Borno and his Military Intelligence "Strike Force" team led by Major Al-Mustapha who were under Sani Abacha's employ and directives.

Today has been one of the happiest days for me with the Presidential pardon for the iconic Ken Saro-Wiwa and his Ogoni kinsmen. "Nigeria ko ni baje!"

middlebelter:
They were hanged in 1995 by the worst regime in Nigeria's history led by the most wicked Head os State ever, Sanni Abacha

They protested the SPDC's pollution of their land, which stopped them from operating. Not sure if the protest led to loss of lives, but Abacha arrested them and eventually killed them despite all appeals to stop the killing.

Succinctly stated.

A very evil military dictatorship back in the 1990s and yet I heard some highly IRRESPONSIBLE Nigerians online and on radio saying the guy's military rule was better. How foolish can these misguided younger ones be? The Internet is there for due diligence but they wouldn't do that for historical research because of their tribal bigotry and clannish, primordial confirmation biases.

How can any sane person endorse a man who engaged in looting over 4 billion USD of Nigeria's money via the CBN into offshore bank accounts in what is now known as the Abacha loot worldwide? That endorsement of the dictator by some people online and in the media despite all the EVIDENCE available to show the negatives of that man is NOTHING but irresponsible talk and shows that a significant number of Nigerians have NO democratic ideals in them and are far WORSE than the politicians and technocrats in government that they point accusing fingers at. Period.

Pardon for what, exactly?

Were they criminals?

Kewekubosineh:
Tinubu should have used this opportunity to grant state pardon to Nnamdi KANU,ipob leader under incarceration.

The ovation would have been loudest and provide the window for national reconciliation.
He has missed the opportunity.

Leaders all over the world gauge the mood of the nation and act accordingly. The Nnamdi KANU case is a sore on our national psyche and Deep divide on national integration.

Tinubu got this wrong!

His people insulted anything about the president and this regime because of one Obi. Kanu rained insults on Nigerian leadership and did all to demarket Nigeria. He distablised the south east economy and so many people died, properties destroyed and security agencies killed. Up till now he and his supporters have not apologized. What would be the basis for the pardon?

Konquest:
This is indeed quite emotional for me as a witness of the sequence of events back in the 1990s that led to the death sentence on the Ogoni icons who had acid poured on their bodies to quicken the disintegration of their bodies in the common grave. Ledum Mittee was very fortunate to have escaped this fate that befell his kinsmen back in the memorable and wild years of the 1990s and he is alive today to get that honor or award today.

I indeed appreciate President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his team of advisers for at least removing this highly embarrassing stain that the very corrupt dictator called Sani Abacha (who stole over 4 billion USD of Nigeria's money through the Central Bank of Nigeria into his offshore bank accounts in the Caribbean, Europe and elsewhere) brought to Nigeria and the Ogoni people in the 1990s despite a strong international pressure from the United States, the United Kingdom and many more countries to STOP the executions. Radio Kudirat (formerly Radio Freedom) then got an extra support and funding from the British government with the use of the BBC World Service HQ at Bush House in London as the transmission site back in the late 1990s (with former Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State as the Radio Director in London) because of the killing of Ken Saro-Wiwa, his Ogoni kinsmen and Kudirat Abiola as well in Lagos State (tollgate) area by Sergent Barnabas Jabila (Sergent Rogers) from Southern Borno and his Military Intelligence "Strike Force" team led by Major Al-Mustapha who were under Sani Abacha's employ and directives.

Today has been one of the happiest days for me with the Presidential pardon for the iconic Ken Saro-Wiwa and his Ogoni kinsmen. "Nigeria ko ni baje!"

Honestly this comes with mixed feelings for me. I don't think Ken Saro Wiwa was totally innocent of his offense. I only felt bad that he was not properly tried. The Ogoni Chiefs were truly murdered...The argument was "was their death caused by rhetoric from Ken &co?" Community members, witnesses and the court would have been better to judge this!
I love as they were pardoned and not exonerated, though.
All the same. All parties must be acknowledged for peace to reign in Ogoni land.

Kewekubosineh:
Tinubu should have used this opportunity to grant state pardon to Nnamdi KANU,ipob leader under incarceration.

The ovation would have been loudest and provide the window for national reconciliation.
He has missed the opportunity.

Leaders all over the world gauge the mood of the nation and act accordingly. The Nnamdi KANU case is a sore on our national psyche and Deep divide on national integration.

Tinubu got this wrong!

Kanu must be tried! Convicted if guilty. Nobody should perpetuate injustice in this country!
Be bold to act and face the consequences of your actions.

Buccalcavity2:
Honestly this comes with mixed feelings for me. I don't think Ken Saro Wiwa was totally innocent of his offense. I only felt bad that he was not properly tried. The Ogoni Chiefs were truly murdered...The argument was "was their death caused by rhetoric from Ken &co?"

Community members, witnesses and the court would have been better to judge this!

I love as they were pardoned and not exonerated, though.

All the same. All parties must be acknowledged for peace to reign in Ogoni land.

Indeed, the Ogoni Chiefs were murdered but that served as a perfect opportunity or excuse for that vile man called Abacha to take his pound of flesh on Ken Saro-Wiwa for his blunt environmental activisms in the Niger Delta way before the Ijaws fully started their militancy. Ken Saro-Wiwa and the others were eliminated very quickly on largely trumped up charges.

I believe that Sani Abacha knew he was gonna die from the terminal liver disease condition he had, so he took fatalistic decisions and that's why appeals to him from the United States and the United Kingdom governments were ignored in the face of more looming economic and travel sanctions with Chief Tom Ikimi annoyingly defending the convictions of the Ogoni icons in the face of international and local appeals. I still get stunned a bit whenever I recall the horrendous events back in the military rule years of the 1990s which led to the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa because I've read and still have some of his books in my personal libraries, so Ken's thought process and historical musings were close to my state of consciousness (just like other iconic writers of books I've read over the decades of my existence in the physical world), and we all hoped for a lighter sentence.

I'm on the same page with you that the Ogoni Chiefs (and all others) must be acknowledge to bring internal healing and peace to Ogoniland in addition to the Ogoni environmental reclamations moving forward.

Cheers.

Konquest:
Indeed, the Ogoni Chiefs were murdered but that served as a perfect opportunity or excuse for that vile man called Abacha to take his pound of flesh on Ken Saro-Wiwa for his blunt environmental activisms in the Niger Delta way before the Ijaws fully started their militancy. Ken Saro-Wiwa and the others were eliminated very quickly on largely trumped up charges.

I believe that Sani Abacha knew he was gonna die from the terminal liver disease condition he had, so he took fatalistic decisions and that's why appeals to him from the United States and the United Kingdom governments were ignored in the face of more looming economic and travel sanctions with Chief Tom Ikimi annoyingly defending the convictions of the Ogoni icons in the face of international and local appeals. I still get stunned a bit whenever I recall the horrendous events back in the military rule years of the 1990s which led to the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa because I've read and still have some of his books in my personal libraries, so Ken's thought process and historical musings were close to my state of consciousness (just like other iconic writers of books I've read over the decades of my existence in the physical world), and we all hoped for a lighter sentence.

I'm on the same page with you that the Ogoni Chiefs (and all others) must be acknowledge to bring internal healing and peace to Ogoniland in addition to the Ogoni environmental reclamations moving forward.

Cheers.

Agreed. But when we call it "Trumped up" charges, we trivialize and are insensitive to the lives of the chiefs.
Just imagine if endsars protesters coincidentally found Tinubu and killed him in 2020.. NK supporters would have said he wasn't directly the cause but BAT's relatives and kinsmen would have sought for justice, which is why proper trial would have been best.
Our people must learn to be civil, even in activism.
No life is inferior to another.
May peace reign in Ogoni land.

Buccalcavity2:
Agreed. But when we call it "Trumped up" charges, we trivialize and are insensitive to the lives of the chiefs.

Just imagine if endsars protesters coincidentally found Tinubu and killed him in 2020.. NK supporters would have said he wasn't directly the cause but BAT's relatives and kinsmen would have sought for justice, which is why proper trial would have been best.

Our people must learn to be civil, even in activism.

No life is inferior to another.
May peace reign in Ogoni land.

Just for CLARITY, I stated CLEARLY in my post right ABOVE that the 4 Ogoni Chiefs were indeed killed.

Ken Saro-Wiwa himself was NOT even allowed into Ogoniland on the day the Chiefs were killed in 1994 and Ken strongly denied the FALSE claims that he incited Ogoni people linked to MOSOP to kill the 4 Chiefs.

Some of those people who originally accused Ken Saro-Wiwa and his co-defendants of the murder at the military tribunal later recanted their testimonials and said they made those FALSE allegations against Ken after being bribed. This is the reason why I stated that Ken was tried and sentenced to death based off of "trumped up" charges and NOT to trivialize the memories of the 4 Ogoni Chiefs. These specifics have been known to the whole world since 1995.


You can read more in the links BELOW to get more insights.

Amnesty International
1] "Nigeria: Shell Complicit in the Arbitrary Executions of Ogoni Nine"
=>https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/press-release/2017/06/shell-complicit-arbitrary-executions-ogoni-nine-writ-dutch-court/

2] Under the "Biography" Section, read the sub-headings "Activism" then "Arrest & Execution"
=>https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Saro-Wiwa

funshint:
When Tinubu said some people have "Poverty of the Mind" you are the specimen he was referring to. Chai! see thinking

there is a transformer on ur street pls do the needful.