The Ijaw National Congress (INC) has joined the global call for the formal exoneration of environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni leaders executed 30 years ago.
The INC Global President, Prof. Benjamin Okaba, made the call in a solidarity message marking the 30th anniversary of the execution of the “Ogoni Nine.”
Saro-Wiwa and his colleagues were executed by Nigeria’s military government in November 1995 after being convicted of involvement in the deaths of four Ogoni chiefs. Their execution, following a controversial trial, drew global outrage and led to international sanctions against Nigeria.
Prof. Okaba said the anniversary should not be just a remembrance, but a renewed commitment to the ideals for which the Ogoni activists died.
“On this symbolic 30th anniversary, our remembrance must be more than a ritual; it must be a rededication to the cause for which they died. We join the global call for the formal exoneration — not pardon — of Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni Eight,” he stated.
The INC also demanded a transparent investigation into Shell’s alleged complicity in human rights violations in Ogoniland, echoing long-standing calls by Amnesty International and other advocacy groups.
Okaba urged the federal government to ensure a credible and internationally supervised cleanup of Ogoniland as recommended by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). He further called for oil multinationals to be held legally and financially accountable for the environmental destruction in the Niger Delta.
“The Ijaw nation stands with the Ogoni in their struggle to benefit from the resources of their land,” he said, while also renewing calls for the repeal of laws such as the Land Use Act and Petroleum Act, which he described as “obnoxious” and detrimental to resource ownership in the region.
He emphasized that the spirit of Ken Saro-Wiwa “lives on in the peaceful resistance of the Ogoni people, in the work of environmental defenders across the globe, and in our collective resolve to pursue justice for the Niger Delta.”
The INC pledged to continue constructive engagement with the government, oil companies, and international partners to advance sociopolitical inclusion, environmental justice, and development in the Niger Delta.
President Bola Tinubu had in June 2025 granted a posthumous pardon to Saro-Wiwa and the eight others, alongside the conferment of national honours. However, the INC insists that exoneration, not pardon, is what true justice demands.
