The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, MOSOP, the Ogoni Liberation Initiative and other groups in Ogoni ethnic nationality of Rivers State have rejected the state pardon granted to the late Ken Saro-Wiwa and other leaders of the area by the Federal Government.
President Bola Tinubu had on Thursday granted pardon to Saro-Wiwa and other leaders of Ogoni who were murdered in 1995 by the military administration of late General Sani Abacha on allegation of civil disturbance, murder and others.
Responding to the state pardon, MOSOP said what the people of Ogoni need from the FG is exoneration and not pardon, calling on President Bola Tinubu to review his stance.
Speaking, the Publicity Secretary of MOSOP, Comrade Imeabe Saviour Oscar, in Port Harcourt, said the declaration of pardon is not acceptable, noting that pardon does not arise because Saro-Wiwa and eight others did not commit the crime levelled against them by the government.
Oscar said: “It is clear that the Ogoni struggle is not a local struggle rather international. So, Mr President cannot claim that he is not aware of what led to the death of Ken Saro Wiwa and others by the military administration of Abacha that Ken Saro Wiwa and others were hanged even in their innocence.
“What do you call pardon, when somebody was killed in his innocence? He is supposed to exonerate them and not pardon. President Bola Tinubu cannot claim that he is not aware of the history of the Ogoni people. He is not a novice to the incident, so granting these our leaders pardon is not acceptable rather we need outright exoneration because they did not commit any crime.
“The President should have exonerated Ken Saro-Wiwa and the others of any crime because they were killed innocently. So if you pardon them, it simply means that they committed crime and have been forgiven, whereas these leaders were innocent. We need exoneration for our murdered leaders.”
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Similarly, OLI noted that the people of Ogoni are not against the administration of President Bola Tinubu, but noted that decisions of the President ought to be impeccable.
The leader of OLI, Dr. Fabeke Douglas, in Port Harcourt, noted that the state pardon granted Wiwa and others did not meet the least expectation of the people of Ogoni and Niger Delta, demanding that the murdered Ogoni leaders be exonerated.
Douglas said: “Thank you, Mr President, for considering the plight of the Ogoni people, however, granting pardon to the Ogoni did not meet our expectations. We demand that they be exonerated from the crime they never committed.
“They were not afforded a fair hearing nor given the opportunity to appeal the judgement as stipulated by the law of the land. We shall continue to offer you our support until you adequately address this matter Mr President. We appreciate your efforts, but the Ogoni case necessitates meticulous attention.”
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