Amnesty International tells President to Declare Ken Saro-Wiwa innocent

Amnesty International has criticized the recent pardon granted by President Bola Tinubu to Mr. Ken Saro-Wiwa, the late environmental activist and his eight co-campaigners, who were convicted and executed by the Gen. Sani Abacha’s military regime.

In a statement by Mr. Isa Sanusi, Nigeria’s Director of the Amnesty International, said while the government’s move was a step in the right direction, it did not go far enough in delivering justice.

In separate event, the Human rights organization has called on the National Assembly to take urgent legislative action to protect and promote human rights in the country, amid growing concerns over repression, insecurity, and shrinking civic space.

It may interest you to know that Saro-Wiwa, who was the leader of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, was executed alongside eight other activists on November 10, 1995.

The activists, known as the Ogoni Nine, had Saro-Wiwa, Barinem Kiobel, John Kpuinen, Baribor Bera, Felix Nuate, Paul Levula, Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo, and Daniel Gbokoo.

But Tinubu, during the June 12 Democracy Day on Thursday, pardoned the activists.

However, the international rights organisation stated that the pardon fell far short of the justice they deserve.

He accused the Nigerian government of using the executions to silence protests against oil pollution in the Niger Delta and shield multinational oil firms from accountability.

Sanusi also stressed that justice for the Ogoni Nine was only a starting point, urging the government to take further steps to address decades of environmental degradation in the region.

He, however, called on oil firms to pay full compensation and clean up the environmental mess caused by decades of oil spills and gas flaring in the region.

Speaking at the first-ever membership Annual General Meeting of the organisation in Abuja, Mr. Auwal Musa, the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the organization expressed concern over the deteriorating state of human rights and persistent abuses across Nigeria.