By Brave Dickson
A group known as the Ogoni Central Indigenous Authority (OCIA) has warned the people of Ogoni including the family of late Ken Saro Wawa to stop demanding the Nigerian government to exonerate him.
The group who said this on Tuesday during the commemoration of Wawa’s 25 years death anniversary insisted that such demands will undermine what the slain environmental activist stood and died for.
Chief of Staff to the OCIA, Mr Beabubari Ndorbu told our correspondent who monitored the celebration that ignorance is still plaguing the Ogonis, hence the need for proper sensitization.
He said: “The late Wiwa was killed by the Nigerian government unlawfully simply because he was fighting for Ogoni self-government which the world understood.
“Going behind to ask his killers (the Nigerian government) to exonerate him of wrongdoing is an attempt to undermine the purpose of his death.
“Wiwa knew he will sacrifice his life for the freedom of Ogoni and he went in for it in order for we that he left behind to continue with his self-governance initiative.
“I see no reason why some Ogonis including Wawa’s family will be demanding for him and other martyrs to be exonerated of wrongdoing rather what is important is for us to champion the cause of self-governance.”
On his part, the District leader of OCIA, Comrade Keanyi Benson maintained that the move by some Ogonis for Wiwa to be exonerated by the Nigerian government of wrongdoing is causing serious division and confusion in the area.
Benson insisted that Wiwa died for the Ogonis to be self-governed within the Nigerian territory, adding that Ogoni self-government is non-negotiable and irreversible because Wiwa has paid the supreme price for it.
You recall that an Appeal Court in Port Harcourt sometime ago dismissed an appeal seeking to exonerate late Ken Saro Wiwa as well as the eight others who were killed by Late General Sani Abacha in 1995.
Justice Cordelia Jombo- Ofo struck out the appeal filed by a human rights group, Conscience of Ogoni People citing lack of merit.
The Judge said the appellant, Conscience of Ogoni People, did not state their interest and relationship with the deceased persons or the damages or injuries it suffered by their deaths.
But the National Coordinator, Conscience of Ogoni People, Chief Gani Topba who expressed dissatisfaction with the judgement, said then that he would head to the Supreme Court.
