The secret militrial trial of Ken Saro-Wiwa was widely seen as a sham [Tim Lambon \/ Greenpeace]<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Nigeria’s president has pardoned the late activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, 30 years after his execution sparked global outrage.<\/p>\n
Along with eight other campaigners, Mr Saro-Wiwa was convicted of murder, then hanged in 1995 by the then-military regime.<\/p>\n
Many believed the activists were being punished for leading protests against the operations of oil multinationals, particularly Shell, in Nigeria’s Ogoniland. Shell has long denied any involvement in the executions.<\/p>\n
Though the pardons have been welcomed, some activists and relatives say they do not go far enough.<\/p>\n
As well as issuing the pardons on Thursday, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu bestowed national honours on Mr Saro-Wiwa and his fellow campaigners, who were known as the Ogoni Nine.<\/p>\n
The nine men – Mr Saro-Wiwa, Barinem Kiobel, John Kpuinen, Baribor Bera, Felix Nuate, Paul Levula, Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo and Daniel Gbokoo – were among dozens who received the honours as part of Nigeria’s annual Democracy Day.<\/p>\n
Tinubu said the accolades recognised “heroes” who had made “outstanding contributions ” to the nation’s democracy.<\/p>\n
Responding to the pardons for the Ogoni Nine, campaign groups said they would like the government to take further steps.<\/p>\n
The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (Mosop), which was formerly led by Mr Saro-Waro, called the pardon a “courageous act”.<\/p>\n
However, Mosop also said that the pardon implies wrongdoing, while in reality “no crime ever took place”.<\/p>\n
Barinem Kiobel’s widow expressed her gratitude to Tinubu for the national honour, but called on the president to “properly declare [her] husband and his compatriots innocent” because a “pardon is not granted to the innocent”.<\/p>\n
Mr Saro-Wiwa, who was one of Nigeria’s leading authors, led the Ogoni people in peaceful demonstrations against Shell.<\/p>\n
Mosop accused the multinational company of polluting the land that locals relied on for their livelihoods.<\/p>\n
The Nigerian government responded by brutally cracking down on the protesters. The Ogoni Nine were subsequently found guilty by a secret military tribunal of the murder of four Ogoni chiefs.<\/p>\n
Their execution sparked outrage within the international community. It was widely condemned as extrajudicial murder and became a global symbol of the struggle against environmental injustice and repression.<\/p>\n
Nigeria was consequently suspended from the Commonwealth group of nations.<\/p>\n
Since then, Shell has faced various lawsuits over oil spills and environmental damage in the Niger Delta, the southern region that Ogoniland is a part of.<\/p>\n
In 2021 a Dutch court ordered Shell to compensate farmers for spills that contaminated swathes of farmland and fishing waters in the Niger Delta. The company agreed to pay more than a hundred million dollars.<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, lawyers representing two Ogoniland communities argued in London’s High Court that Shell must take responsibility for oil pollution that occurred between 1989 and 2020.<\/p>\n
Shell denies wrongdoing and says spills in the region have been caused by sabotage, theft and illegal refining for which the company says it is not liable.<\/p>\n
The case’s full trial is set for 2026.<\/p>\n
Additional reporting by Chris Ewokor<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nMore BBC stories about Nigeria:<\/h2>\n