Saro-Wiwa’s Family Reacts To National Honour, Pardon From Tinubu

[vin modebelu]

Fellows

This is not the best way to politic for Ogoni vote

There is no forgiveness after punishment. A purported forgiveness after punishment means nothing but revenge.

Many people have forgotten that Gen Abacha was Sero Wiwa's handler that back all Sero Wiwas killing in PH and all Rivers state. Abacha backed him all the way till Dordan Barracks

Ken Wiwa was untouchable, that was why the yoruba Abiola promised him Governor of  proposed OGONI  STATE for him to dump Abacha during June 12th politics

Abacha invited Ogoni chiefs to Dordan Barracks to iron out issues

Ken Sero Wiwa got mad, waylayed those chiefs on airport road on their way back from the meeting with Abacha.

They were killed and set on fire

I was in PH from USA that night. One of the chiefs was burned in a car anou 500 yards from where i was staying. We saw it in the morning as car fire not know it was much more than that

THE KILLERS WERE LATER CAUGHT.

Those killers were told to name these who sent and got free. They named Ken Sero wiwa's men  who were their handlers.

They picked up those handlers. Abacha promised free release if they name names. And they did.

It was done

Ken Wiwa. and his inner caucus plotters were picked up

One of those killed by Ken Wiwa was his inlaw

The rest is history

Abiola sent Gani and young Femi Falana to defend Ken Wiwa

Both Wiwa and Abiola went down

Saro-Wiwa’s Family Reacts To National Honour, Pardon From Tinubu

The reaction from Saro-Wiwa’s family to the national honours differs from that the renowned environmentalist, Nnimmo Bassey, who told PREMIUM TIMES that “Ken Saro-Wiwa and the others deserve to be honoured. But coming at a time when the government is desperate to jack up oil production, while pollution continues unabated, the move is ill-timed.”

The family of Ken Saro-Wiwa says President Bola Tinubu’s conferment of national honours on Mr Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni leaders executed in 1995 by the Nigerian military dictator, Sani Abacha, “symbolises the innocence of these heroes”.

The family thanked Mr Tinubu for the honours.

Mr Saro-Wiwa and the others were executed because of their struggle for environmental justice for their oil-rich community in the Niger Delta region.

Mr Tinubu, during his address at the joint session of the National Assembly on Thursday, 12 June, to mark Nigeria’s 2025 Democracy Day, conferred posthumous national honours on Mr Saro-Wiwa (CON) and the others – 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).

He hinted that his administration would give a state pardon to the late Ogoni leaders.

“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,” the president stated in his address.

Saro-Wiwa’s family reacts

“We want to believe that the conferment of these national honours symbolises the innocence of these heroes and further re-enforces the global view that the judgement given almost 30 years ago was flawed and their execution considered to be judicial murder,” Mr Saro-Wiwa’s family said in a statement issue on 13 June, a day after Mr Tinubu’s remark.

The statement was signed by Noo Saro-Wiwa, a British-Nigerian author and daughter of the late Mr Saro-Wiwa.

She said their father and the eight other Ogoni leaders “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.”

“While thanking President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for doing the right thing, we further request a review of the judicial proceedings leading to the erroneous judgement, which occasioned such a colossal loss to our family, the Ogoni people and concerned Nigerians.

“Such a review will heal all wounds and… lead to a complete exoneration of our heroes,” she added.

The reaction from Saro-Wiwa’s family to the national honours differs from that of the renowned environmentalist, Nnimmo Bassey, who told PREMIUM TIMES that “Ken Saro-Wiwa and the others deserve to be honoured. But coming at a time when the government is desperate to jack up oil production, while pollution continues unabated, the move is ill-timed.”

Mr Bassey, the director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation, re-stated his long-held view that the Nigerian government must exonerate the Ogoni Nine of the crimes for which they were accused, instead of considering a pardon.

“A mere pardon at this time appears to be aimed at reopening the oil wells in Ogoniland — a step that would mean dancing on the graves of the murdered leaders. Exoneration is the political action we demand of the government to bring a closure to the environmental genocide and other crimes committed against the Ogoni people,” Mr Bassey told PREMIUM TIMES, Friday, a day after the president’s remark.

Previous rejection of pardon

In 2021, Mr Bassey and leaders of 10 other civil society organisations issued a statement rejecting a similar plan for state pardon for Mr Saro-Wiwa and others by the then-President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Ken Saro-Wiwa Foundation had also rejected Mr Buhari’s plan for pardon.

“His death remains a matter that is yet to be resolved because the state necessarily has to exonerate him of the false charges and the kind of kangaroo judgment that was given by that tribunal.

“Besides, the state has to apologise to the victims and to the Ogoni people for executing them when the appeal period had not even elapsed,” Mr Bassey said in a 2018 interview with PREMIUM TIMES

Mr Bassey said 10 November, the day the Ogoni Nine were executed, has always been a day for sober reflection for him.

“The day he was executed in 1995, I was at that time the secretary-general of the Association of Nigerian Authors.

“We were having our annual conference at the University of Lagos, and we were debating whether to issue a statement pleading with Abacha to have mercy and cancel the death sentence or to issue a hard-line statement condemning the atrocities of his dictatorship. Why that debate was going on, we got the news that they had been executed.

“So, it is always a very sad day for me.

“The campaign of Ken Saro-Wiwa was focused on environmental justice. And the injustice meted out on him and the Ogoni people is one of the major reasons I have made environmental justice campaign my lifetime cause.”

Accused of being responsible for the murder of four Ogoni chiefs at a pro-government meeting, Mr Saro-Wiwa and the others were sentenced to death by hanging by a special military tribunal.

Several Nigerians believe Mr Saro-Wiwa and the others were framed up for the murder because of their very impactful non-violent campaign against oil extraction and the continuous degradation of the Ogoniland by the government-backed multi-national oil companies, especially the Royal Dutch Shell.

Source: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/800792-saro-wiwas-family-reacts-to-national-honour-pardon-from-tinubu.html?tztc=1

[Afis]

Good morning Vincencio Odebesilu.

You’re a poor storyteller, and your tales never correspond with reality or that one’s told by those who were participants in those events.

The reaction from the Saro Wiwa’s family:

Saro-Wiwa’s family reacts

“We want to believe that the conferment of these national honours symbolises the innocence of these heroes and further re-enforces the global view that the judgement given almost 30 years ago was flawed and their execution considered to be judicial murder,” Mr Saro-Wiwa’s family said in a statement issue on 13 June, a day after Mr Tinubu’s remark.

The statement was signed by Noo Saro-Wiwa, a British-Nigerian author and daughter of the late Mr Saro-Wiwa.

She said their father and the eight other Ogoni leaders “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.”

“While thanking President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for doing the right thing, we further request a review of the judicial proceedings leading to the erroneous judgement, which occasioned such a colossal loss to our family, the Ogoni people and concerned Nigerians.

“Such a review will heal all wounds and… lead to a complete exoneration of our heroes,” she added.

Afis

"Repetition is the favorite weapon of the Ignoramus, to elicit annoyance without added value" - Afis

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 15, 2025, at 8:31 AM, vin modebelu <vin.mo...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[femi Olajide]

Oga Afis,

What VM is saying here is plausible. Ken Saro Wiwa may not have been as innocent as being claimed.

Hence, the judicial review that the daughter asked for is very much valid to get to the truth.
The findings of the judicial review may not be favourablle to the family or the detractors, but the facts will be laid bare.

Regards,

Femi Olajide

[vin modebelu]

Femi

The chiefs were Edward Kobani, Alfred Badey, Samuel Orage, and Theophilus Orage.

They were killed by Ken Wiwa

Wiwa lived in Gen Ojukwu's house at the background which he claimed to be abandoned

I told this story before in NIGERIAWORLD FORUM under MATOS

[1]

Ken was so power that Governors and  State Police Commissioners reported to him.

[2]

He killed at will. He had no opposition.

[3]

No one moved in Rivers state unless Sero Wiwa said move.

[4]

All the OIL COMPANIES pay TITHES TO HIM

Shell hated him but cannot do anything

[5]

Ken Wiwa only take orders directly with the President in Dordan Barrack in turn Ke Wiwa controls PH Army Garison

That was why, when he killed those people, he thought nothing will happen

But those he killed were Abacha'sagents and men

They have all the facts that implicated Sero Wiwa ,who also killed his  inlaw. These were members of his inner cabal who  spilled the beans to Abacha on why the endorsed Abiola and Abiola promises to them

What happened next

{1]

When the Polices Commissioner invited him to the CPS, he refused telling the Police Commissioner that he should clear his invitation with IGP before inviting to make a statement.

[2]

The Army Brigade Commander requested that he report to the Police but he refused

[3]

Three week plus after the initial request to report, the Army and Police went to him and mandated that he report to CPS River State

The arrest

[1]

Sero Wiwa  showed up at CPS with his Thugs and BodyGuards all with guns.

They were welcomed

The gunmen were asked to go inside and HE WENT INSIDE.

[2]

Wiwa said that he will not write a statement that he did nothing.

He wanted to leave but they will not let him

He was there till the evening

[3]

Wiwa questioned Police CP Rivers if IGP knows that he was at the CPS?.  He called IGP. But IGP was not reachable.

This is that number that calls him bact.

He called Dordan barracks and they told him that Abacha was busy to talk to him.

[4]

They asked him to sleep at CPS and speak with Abacha and IGP

His thugs were asked to go home and come the next day.

But he never get to speak with them again.

He never went home

His thugs were never again allowed in CPS.

HE HAS BEEN ARRESTED

Then he thought that Shell framed him up. He needed Abacha and IGP to tell the Governor and Police to release him.

He called the Governor over to CPS. The Governor came. He told the Governor to release him from Police custody that he  Wiwa had he trying to reach Abacha and IGP.

The Governor told Wiwa that he Wiwa was better suited to talk to Abacha abd IGP than him. That he will try.

Ken Wiwa never regained freedom

He killed more that 10 people a week. Rivers state was a killing field then. They had approx 44 LG areas including Bayelsa. Wiwa later blamed Army, military commander Lieutenant-Colonel Paul Okuntimo, a yoruba man, for the killings. Ken Wiwa was using the Armg + Thugs + Police to murder people in Rivers. 

Police had no say

SIDE BAR

It was Ken Wiwa and Diete Spiff that executed the ABANDON PROPERTY DECREE

Which Gowan later admitted that he did it to pay Ken Sero Wiwa back.

Ken Sero Wiwa lived in Ojukwu's house in Diobu. And raised his kids there with his wives

Abacha lived in another abandoned property when he was the Garrison Commander in PH