The people of Ogoni ethnic nationality in Rivers State are calling on the federal government to exonerate late environmental rights activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others who were murdered during the General Sani Abacha military junta in 1995 for fighting for the emancipation of Ogoni people.
President of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People, MOSOP, Wai Ogosu made the call during Ken Saro Wiwa’s memorial lecture in Bani, his hometown in Khana local government area of Rivers State.
It was a historic and significant moment for the people of Ogoni as dignitaries and traditional rulers came to commemorate twenty-nine years of their execution by the military administration.
At the public lecture, MOSOP President and other stakeholders reflected on the memories of the Ogoni martyrs and what they died for.
They urged the federal government to exonerate Ken over the murder of Ogoni elders and ensure wider consultation with the people before resuming oil exploration in Ogoni land.
There was also a thanksgiving service to commemorate the day as sons and daughters of Ogoni land in one voice demanded justice for the Nigerian writer Ken Saro Wiwa and others killed along with him.
(Editor: Okechukwu Eze)
