Thirty-one years after the execution of environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others, the people of Ogoniland gathered to honour their memories and renew their demand for justice.
But beyond remembering the Ogoni Nine, this year’s commemoration also focused on the Ogoni Four — Edward Kobani, Theophilus Orage, Samuel Orage, and Albert Badey — whose murder in Gokana Local Government Area preceded the arrest and eventual execution of the nine activists in 1995.
Different groups across Ogoni held memorial events to mark the day. In Gokana, the Gokana Unity Forum, the Council of Chiefs, and families of the victims renewed their call for the retrieval of the remains of the four who were allegedly killed by a mob outside the palace of the then Gbemene of Gokana.
They insist that retrieving their remains and giving them a dignified burial will bring closure and true reconciliation to the land.
The Gokana Unity Forum expressed disappointment over what it described as MOSOP’s continued disregard for genuine reconciliation.
It accused the group of planning to lay wreaths on symbolic graves of the Ogoni Four instead of working with key stakeholders to recover their real remains as recommended by the Oputa Panel of 2001.
The forum said the failure to act on those recommendations has delayed true peace and reconciliation in Ogoniland for decades.
Chris Barigbon, speaking on behalf of the forum, said the people of Gokana have resolved to press forward to ensure that the remains of the Ogoni Four are recovered and given proper burial. He described it as the only path to lasting peace and justice in the area.
“We are saying today that the time has come for the remains of Chief Edward Kobani, Chief T.B. Orage, Chief S.N. Orage, and Chief A.T. Badey to be recovered and returned to their families for dignified burial. That is the true foundation of peace. Without truth and justice, reconciliation will remain a mirage,” he said.
The President of the Gokhana Unity Forum, Goodluck Gbara-Age, added that the younger generation would continue to seek justice until the truth of what happened is fully addressed.
The demand for justice was also echoed by a former Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Kenneth Kobani, a son of one of the Ogoni Four, who spoke with deep emotion about forgiveness, closure, and the need for honesty in the reconciliation process.
“It’s been 31 years since my father and others were brutally murdered here in Gokana. We had every reason to seek revenge, but we chose forgiveness,” Kobani said, stressing that true reconciliation must begin with truth.
He condemned what he described as “a continued denial of the obvious”, saying some groups were trying to rewrite history and downplay the suffering of the victims’ families.
“You cannot deny what happened. These men were killed in broad daylight, and the culprits were known. We have shown enough humility and faith in the Ogoni cause; it is time for those who know where their remains are to bring them out so that we can have closure.”
Kobani thanked President Bola Tinubu for renewed efforts at reconciliation but urged all stakeholders to stop using the Ogoni struggle for political and financial gain.
“Ogoni wants peace, unity, and progress. We’ve seen enough pain; we don’t hate anyone, but we must not be forced to bury our fathers with empty caskets again,” he said.
Clad in black attire and carrying placards, the crowd also paid courtesy visits to the King of Bodo and to the homes of the Badey and Kobani families to register their grief and renew prayers for unity and peace.
Elsewhere, the National Youth Council of Ogoni People held a separate memorial for Ken Saro-Wiwa and his colleagues, describing them as symbols of courage and sacrifice.
While thanking President Tinubu for the pardon granted earlier this year, the youth called for the case to be reopened for a formal court exoneration and for the full implementation of the Ogoni Bill of Rights.
They also demanded an end to what they described as political marginalisation, noting that despite having four local government areas, no Ogoni has ever served as Governor or deputy governor of Rivers State since its creation.
Source: Channels TV
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