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From Tony John, Port Harcourt
Amnesty International has called on the Nigerian government to outright clear the names of the nine Ogoni people killed on 10 November 1995 by the military junta led by General Sani Abacha from any wrongdoing, rather than granting them pardons.
The victims were environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, Barinem Kiobel, John Kpuinen, Baribor Bera, Felix Nuate, Paul Levula, Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo, and Daniel Gbokoo.
Amnesty made the call at a programme commemorating the 30 years of execution of the Ogoni 9 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Monday.
Amnesty, while commending the federal government for granting the Ogoni 9 pardon in June 2025, said the government’s decision fell short of the justice deserved by the victims and their families.
Speaking, Amnesty International Country Director Isa Sanusi noted that the effects of environmental devastation caused by multinational oil companies several decades ago are still lingering in the Niger Delta region.
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Sanusi said, “In June 2025, the Nigerian government pardoned the Ogoni Nine. While Amnesty International welcomed the news, it fell short of the justice the Ogoni Nine and their families deserve.”
He alleged, “The Ogoni Nine, led by Nigeria’s leading author and campaigner, Ken Saro-Wiwa, were brutally executed in 1995 by a regime that wanted to hide the crimes of Shell and other oil companies. These companies were destroying – and continue to destroy – the lives and livelihoods of tens of thousands of people across the Niger Delta as a result of their devastating oil spills and leaks.
“While their pardon was a step forward, the Ogoni Nine deserve full exoneration. These men were executed for a crime they did not commit. Their friends and family have been through enough, and they deserve justice.”
According to Amnesty International, “the executions were the culmination of a brutal campaign by Nigeria’s military government to silence the protests of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), who, under Ken Saro-Wiwa’s leadership, had campaigned against continued pollution from oil spills and gas flaring.
“Extensive reporting from Amnesty International concluded that oil company Shell knowingly provided encouragement and motivation to the military authorities to stop the MOSOP.”
