On 12 June, Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu posthumously pardoned Ken Saro-Wiwa, one of the Ogoni Nine (also including Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo, Daniel Gbooko, Paul Levera, Felix Nuate, Baribor Bera, Barinem Kiobel, and John Kpuine) who led a fearless and peaceful campaign for his community before being executed by hanging by Sani Abacha’s military regime on 10 November 1995. Saro-Wiwa, a respected human rights activist and former UNPO Presidency member, was convicted by a secret military tribunal: a process widely condemned for its trumped-up charges and grave violations of his rights to a fair trial, life, and personal integrity.
More recently, Shell has faced legal action for its alleged involvement in the detention and arrest of the Ogoni Nine, in a case brought by Dr Barinem Kiobel’s widow and three other women. The oil giant’s long and troubling history in Nigeria’s Delta region is marked by colonial-era legacies, violent repression, and the deliberate division of impoverished communities exposed to deadly toxins from gas flaring and oil pollution.
Three decades on, justice remains elusive for the Ogoni people and others in the Niger Delta. Though Saro-Wiwa’s memory endures locally and internationally, the recent state-led pardon reflects an ongoing reluctance to fully acknowledge the historic harms and human rights abuses perpetrated by both state and corporate actors.
While some activists have called the pardon a “courageous act”, it nonetheless implies an original wrongdoing. It falls short of genuine accountability or recognition that Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni Nine were innocent activists who bravely stood against oppression.
Nigeria’s political and human rights landscape remains fraught. Oil pollution and the disenfranchisement of the Ogoni and other Niger Delta communities persist, devastating livelihoods, worsening public health, fuelling conflict, and radicalising youth. Despite limited legal challenges faced by oil companies in European courts, the reality is a sustained divestment of onshore assets to quasi-local and international consortiums, with continued offshore exploration, reducing international companies’ liability for environmental clean-up under domestic law.
More than 30 years after Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni Nine were executed, their struggle is not forgotten. UNPO stands with the Ogoni and all those suffering from corporate-driven environmental degradation and political marginalisation. Their courage continues to inspire new generations of activists. As Saro-Wiwa himself declared:
“Whether I live or die is immaterial. It is enough to know that there are people who commit time, money and energy to fight this one evil among so many others predominating worldwide. If they do not succeed today, they will succeed tomorrow.”
The Ogoni Nine’s peaceful resistance deserves not pardoning, but recognition, admiration, and unwavering support. In today’s challenging geopolitical context, their example of non-violent resistance remains invaluable. UNPO remains committed to supporting the Niger Delta’s communities in their pursuit of political representation and environmental justice.
