3 weeks ago
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Mr. Femi Falana SAN has said that the Ogoni 4 and the Ogoni 9 were brutally killed by the Sani Abacha subject junta successful 1995.
While speaking astatine the 84th posthumous day lecture of Ken Saro-Wiwa successful Port Harcourt yesterday, the frontline quality rights lawyer gave a vivid relationship of the tragic incident.
The lawyer who on with Chief Gani Fawehinmi SAN defended Ken Saro-Wiwa and different MOSOP leaders said that they withdrew from the proceedings erstwhile the peculiar subject tribunal frustrated them from tendering captious worldly grounds successful favour of the accused persons.
According to Mr. Falana, “in a hopeless bid to exploit the lipid resources without control, Shell Petroleum Development Company was granted licences by the Nigerian State to import arms and ammunition into the state nether the pretext of protecting its assets. The weapons were aboriginal recovered successful the hands of militant youths arsenic communities were instigated to onslaught and combat themselves. This was done to divert the attraction of the radical portion the oil-rich portion was afloat exploited by Shell and other lipid companies.
When the disagreement and regularisation tactics of the multinational companies failed to soundlessness the Ogoni people, the Task Force led by Col. Paul Okintimo took up the duty of recruiting misguided militants to termination the Ogoni 4. Hence, erstwhile the leaders were attacked and killed by the youths, the soldiers who were contiguous astatine the country of the transgression did not marque immoderate arrest. The bodies of the deceased were taken distant by the soldiers to an chartless place.”
Mr. Falana further revealed that “As soon arsenic Col Okintimo informed the subject authorities of the sidesplitting of the Ogoni 4, the subject politician of Rivers State, Col. Dauda Komo announced that Ken Saro-Wiwa and different MOSOP leaders would beryllium held vicariously liable for the brutal execution of the Ogoni 4. The prejudicial connection was made by Col Komo earlier the commencement of probe into the dastardly act.
The complaint of execution filed astatine the High Court of Rivers State against Ken and different MOSOP leaders was discontinued when the prosecutors pointed retired to the junta that the grounds was excessively anemic to unafraid the condemnation of the Ogoni 9. On the orders of General Sani Abacha, a peculiar subject tribunal was constituted for the trial. The tribunal rejected the captious worldly grounds of the defence to pave the mode for the condemnation and decease sentences passed connected the Ogoni 9.”
On the execution of the Ogoni 9, Mr. Falana said that : “Under conception 7 of the Civil Disturbances Decree, the Tribunal was required to furnish the PRC with the grounds of proceedings for the intent of confirming oregon rejecting the condemnation and sentences. But the Provisional Ruling Council purportedly confirmed the decease sentences and gave orders for the concealed execution of the Ogoni 9 erstwhile the tribunal had not compiled the record. It was connected the ground of the illegality that characterised the mock trial, Nigeria was suspended from the Commonwealth of Nations.”
However, Mr. Falana recalled that the lawsuit was reopened astatine the Oputa Panel connected Human Rights Abuse acceptable up by the Olusegun Obasanjo medication successful 1999. He informed the assemblage that irrefutable grounds was led to beryllium that the Ogoni 4 and Ogoni 9 were killed by the Sani Abacha subject junta. Hence, the sheet proceeded to unite the household members of the Ogoni 13 earlier leaving Port Harcourt.
It is Mr. Falana’s presumption that it was in accordance with the proposal of the Oputa Panel that: “the Bola Tinubu medication has deemed it to bring closure to the tragic incidental and further unite the Ogoni radical by granting pardon to the Ogoni 9 and conferring posthumous nationalist honour connected the Ogoni 13.”
Mr. Falana congratulated the Ogoni radical and the full radical of Niger Delta portion for signaling important occurrence successful the conflict for a harmless and steadfast environment. He listed the gains to see “the derivation money provided nether Section 162(2) of the 1999 Constitution which mandates that 13 percent of gross from the resources beryllium returned to states from wherever specified resources are produced.”
He disclosed that betwixt January and May 2025, the 9 oil-producing states received a full of N620.23 cardinal from the Federation Account arsenic 13 per cent derivation. Since the humongous sums person not impeoved the lives of the radical successful the Niger Delta region, Mr Falana called connected MOSOP to pb a campa...
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