Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni 9
Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni 9: exoneration or pardon?
by The Global Secretariat of the International Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self-Determination and Liberation
The Ogoni Nine were a group of Nigerian environmental and human rights activists and leaders of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), which campaigned against Shell’s oil operations in the Niger Delta. They were executed by the Nigerian military regime on 10th November 1995. Their execution drew international condemnation and spotlighted the environmental devastation caused by oil extraction in the region. The group included renowned writer and activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, along with eight others: Barinem Kiobel, John Kpuinen, Paul Levura, Felix Nuate, Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo, Daniel Gbooko, and Baribor Bera. The executions led to Nigeria’s suspension from the Commonwealth and increased scrutiny of Shell’s role in the crisis.
President Bola Tinubu issued a posthumous pardon on June 12th, 2025, for the “Ogoni Nine” which includes indigenous Ogoni leader and martyr Ken Saro‑Wiwa who were executed in 1995 by Nigeria’s military regime after being convicted of murdering four local chiefs amid protests against oil pollution by Shell. The pardon, granted during Democracy Day celebrations, officially recognized them as national heroes.
However, while some Niger Delta leaders met the pardon with jubilation, it also sparked opposition from Ogoni activists and rights organisations. They argue that pardoning implies guilt and therefore undermines the activists’ innocence. Celestine Akpobari of the Ogoni Solidarity Forum stated, “You cannot pardon someone that has not committed an offense; we are demanding total exoneration,” while Amnesty International called the act “misleading and insulting,” emphasizing the need for formal exoneration.
Earlier in January this year, President Bola Tinubu informed a group of political and traditional leaders from Ogoniland that the government intends to begin talks on restarting oil production. The announcement marks the administration’s renewed effort to revive operations in the oil-rich but environmentally damaged area.
Critics suggest the move may be politically motivated, asserting that it comes amid the government’s push to resume oil operations in the heavily polluted Ogoniland.
Earlier in January this year, President Bola Tinubu informed a group of political and traditional leaders from Ogoniland that the government intends to begin talks on restarting oil production. The announcement marks the administration’s renewed effort to revive operations in the oil-rich but environmentally damaged area.
“Only convicted criminals are granted a pardon and not the innocent. This is also very disturbing because just last week, the National Security Adviser was quoted to have told some people that the Government of Nigeria was ready to move into Ogoni to resume oil production,” Akpobari added. According to him, the Government of Nigeria has killed Ken Saro-Wiwa for a second time and he calls that the Ogoni peoples to rise up to condemn this dance on the Ogoni Nine’s graves. “It is the Government of Nigeria that need a pardon from the people of Ogoni,” Akpobari declared.
On May 21, an air strike carried by the Nigeria Airforce on a farm in an Ogoni community called Bunu Tai. Several farmers were wounded and some still in critical condition. Some unconfirmed report has it that the blast killed three women. Up till this moment, the government of Nigeria is yet to show any concern even after the Senator representing Ogoni in the Senate, Senator Barinaada Mpigi presented a petition against the air strike on the floor of the parliament.
Some activists believe that the air strike must have been a deliberate attempt to instill fear into the people of Ogoni as they plan to forcefully resume oil production in the area. Indigenous Peoples leaders and environmental defenders argue that pardoning the activists won’t address the ongoing ecological damage or grant local communities a say in future oil-related decisions. They insist that full exoneration and accountability, especially relating to Shell-Chevron’s environmental impact, should precede any plans to restart drilling.