Indigenes staged a peace march in the Rivers State’s Gokana Local Government Area demanding justice, official recognition, and an apology from the country 35 years after the brutal killing of four prominent Ogoni leaders.
Calls for the slain men to be remembered as true Ogoni martyrs were also resurrected by the memorial on May 21, 2025.
On May 21, 1994, at a meeting held at the Medemene of Gokana, Chief Edward Kobani, Chief Albert Badey, Chief Samuel Orage, and Chief Theophilus Orage were all assassinated. Their deaths were connected to the Federal Government’s and SPDC’s joint-venture partner’s wider agitation against oil exploitation.
The peace walk, which was organized by the Gokana Unity Forum (GUF), started at Mogho Junction and moved on to the palace, where attendees signed a petition. Chris Barigbon, the Gokana Unity Forum’s secretary, read out the group’s four main demands in the town square following the march:
– A family ad lib to the victims in public.
The four have been officially recognized as Ogoni martyrs.
– A monument dedicated to them.
– Declares May 21 to be an annual Ogoni Day of Prayer and Atonement.
Kenneth Kobani, the son of one of the deceased, addressed journalists at the event and decried what he called false accounts surrounding the killings.
These men fought for Ogoni, they said. He claimed that they merited respect and not accusations.
What did killing them bring about? The question was rhetorical, and he asked.
What is the justification for these honorable men being referred to as vultures? Just because they engaged in dialogue with the then-Government and wanted Ogoni’s good and progress, Kobani remarked.
The marchers also made reference to Ken Saro-Wiwa, one of the Ogoni Nine’s former members, who were accused of being the mastermind of the murder of the Ogoni Four and who were being executed by the military regime in 1995. They argued that such calls should not rewrite history or overshadow the suffering of the victims’ families.
The Ogoni Nine’s re-examination is being opposed by the demonstrators, who claim they were found guilty by the Oputa Panel and given appropriate sanctions.
However, some Ogoni leaders and their governing body, MOSOP, insist that any attempt to resume oil exploration in the area must come before Ken Saro-Wiwa’s exoneration.
Source: Channels TV
Leave a Reply