The family of late environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa has described President Bola Tinubu’s recent conferment of national honours on Mr Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni leaders as a recognition of their innocence and a reaffirmation of global concerns over their controversial execution in 1995.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the family thanked the president for the gesture, saying it symbolised the innocence of the slain activists who were executed under the military regime of General Sani Abacha for campaigning against environmental degradation in the oil-rich Niger Delta.
“We want to believe that the conferment of these national honours symbolises the innocence of these heroes and further re-enforces the global view that the judgement given almost 30 years ago was flawed,” the statement read.
Signed by Noo Saro-Wiwa, a British-Nigerian author and daughter of the late activist, the family emphasised that Saro-Wiwa and his fellow campaigners were peaceful advocates who brought international attention to the environmental destruction caused by oil exploration in Ogoniland.
While commending President Tinubu for “doing the right thing,” the family urged the federal government to revisit the judicial process that led to the executions, which have been widely condemned as a miscarriage of justice.
“Such a review will heal all wounds and… lead to a complete exoneration of our heroes,” the statement added.
