.Fubara lauds Tinubu for pardon, national honours for Ogoni 13

.Saro-Wiwa, 8 others didn’t commit any crime, says Falana 

Laleye Dipo in Minna, Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt 

The family of late General Mamman Vatsa granted presidential pardon by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday has described the action “as our greatest moment of joy since the late Vatsa was executed 39 years ago,” insisting he was framed up.

This was as Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for his decision to pardon the Ogoni 9, and the prestigious national honours awards on the Ogoni four.

But human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has stated that late environmental rights activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other sons of Ogoniland executed by the military regime of General Sani Abacha in 1995, did not commit the crime for which they were accused, convicted and murdered. He urged the federal government to exonerate and tender an apology.

General Vatsa was executed along with nine others in 1986 when a military tribunal found them guilty of coup plot.

The family in a statement made available to journalists in Minna, Niger State capital, yesterday and signed by a former Commissioner for Information in the state, Mr. Jonathan Vatsa, said “President Tinubu has wiped away the tears of the family after 39 years of sorrow and sadness.

“After several appeals to successive administrations, God has finally used President Tinubu to console our family, the Gulu Vatsa community, Lapai local government and the entire Niger State.

“Today (Friday) is the happiest moment in the life of the family after 39 years of sorrow and sadness following the killing of our late father, brother and uncle.

“Though nothing can bring him back to life, the family is consoled by this display of statesmanship by our dear President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”

Vatsa further said, “Justice can never be denied but can only be delayed, the family is convinced that the late Vatsa must be a happy person today in his grave by this singular act of compassion by President Tinubu,” adding that, “This goes to show that truth doesn’t expire.”

He said the family continues to hold strongly that late General Vatsa was not involved in the coup plot and was “framed up” and “the trial, a stage managed one just to eliminate the late Vatsa out of envy and hatred for a man who has a root and identity.”

The conviction of the family, according to Vatsa, was also reinforced when “a highly respected Military General, late Domkat Bali once said in an interview that the evidence against General Vatsa was weak and that he doesn’t know whether he was supposed to have been killed.

“That is why the family still maintains that the late Vatsa was innocent of the coup. But we still thank President Tinubu for his magnanimity in granting him the state pardon.”

The statement said President Tinubu by the action “has written his name in gold and history will forever remember him.” 

Meanwhile, Governor Fubara said the said presidential pardon and national honours awards will promote genuine reconciliation, guarantee enduring peace and unity within the Ogoni communities, and also help accelerate sustainable development in the State. 

The Ogoni 9: Ken Saro-Wiwa, Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo, Daniel Gboko, Paul Levera, Felix Nuate, Baribor Bera, Barinem Kiobel, and John Kpuine were granted posthumous pardon for their “exemplary service to Nigeria and in particular to promote reconciliation within the Ogoni community.”

In the same token, the Ogoni 4: Chiefs Albert Badey, Edward Kobani, Samuel Orage, and Theophilus Orage were awarded national honours for their patriotism to Nigeria and in particular to promote reconciliation within the Ogoni community.

While reassuring President Tinubu of the commitment of the Rivers State Government to the total reconciliation of all Ogoni people, Fubara who spoke in Government House, Port Harcourt, yesterday, expressed optimism that the government’s action will bring renewed hope and restore confidence in the Ogoni communities.

He appealed to the people of the state, particularly the Ogoni people to see the federal government’s decision as a significant step towards addressing age-long demands of the communities, emphasising that the government’s investment in the area is a testament to the commitment to the well-being of the people and development of Ogoniland. 

He further encouraged the people to key into the policies and programmes of government at all levels to achieve the purpose of governance in the State, and Nigeria.

In another development, human rights lawyer, Falana, who spoke as keynote lecturer at the Ken Saro-Wiwa 30th Memorial Lecture held at the Banquet Hall of Hotel Presidential, Port Harcourt, yesterday, explained that the Nigerian State, under General Abacha, in its desperation to incriminate Saro-Wiwa and permanently silence him and his group, used its head of task force, Paul Okutimo, to murder four Ogoni chiefs and falsely accused Ken and his men of committing the crime.

Falana, who spoke on the theme, ‘Ken Saro-Wiwa -The Man, His Legacies, Struggles and Challenges’, reflected on the crisis that erupted in Ogoniland in the 1990s over environmental devastations allegedly caused by the oil exploration activities of Shell Petroleum and Development Company (SPDC).

“Ken and his comrades did not commit murder, please take it from me. What happened was that the Nigerian State decided, ‘we’re going to deal with MOSOP led by Ken’ and the only way to do it is to allow Shell to continue to exploit your resources, no reaction, no objection, and to charge your leaders for murder. The Abacha murderous junta had one Paul Okutimo, the head of task force. Then the Nigerian State got quandary instigated by them, paid by them to kill the four leaders, Kobani and others. It was the Nigerian State that killed them. 

“Before any commencement of investigation, Paul Komo, the then military governor, said publicly: ‘We’re going to hold Ken and other MOSOP leaders for the murder that took place in Yogbo. They (Ken and his men) were not there. Their (federal government’s) own boys killed the four leaders. But the governor announced: ‘We’re going to hold (MOSOP) leaders vicariously liable.’ There’s no vicarious liability in criminal offence. If you commit a crime, if you commit an offence, you’re dealt with. You cannot hold me responsible for the alleged offence of my son; that’s not enough but that’s what happened in Ken Saro-Wiwa’s case,” Falana explained.

The legal luminary further revealed that efforts by Saro-Wiwa’s defence team to present a recorded tape of the incident to the court to prove that the accused MOSOP leaders were innocent of the murder charge and victims of a pre-meditated trial were quashed by the court, as part of the Nigerian State’s conspiracy.

“For the tape at the trial, we were going to tender it, to say, ‘this case, you want to kill these people in a premeditated manner.’ So we applied to tender the tape. This was a defining moment for the tribunal. When we offered to tender the tape, the tribunal rose to consider and to consult. And they were told, ‘If you allow the tape to go in, that is the end of our case.”

Falana said it was at this stage that the tribunal, led by Justice Auta, ruled against the presentation and playing of the tape, and went ahead to hurriedly convict and execute Ken Saro-Wiwa and the other eight Ogoni environmental activists.

Commending the organisers of the 30th anniversary Ken Saro-Wiwa lecture, Falana, said the only way to honour the late environmental activist was for Ogoni people to unite and collectively sustain the struggle until justice was achieved.

In her brief speech earlier, Caroline Nagbo, an Ogoni activist, said the killing of Saro-Wiwa and the other MOSOP leaders was a political decision by the Nigerian State, even under the military.

“If Nigeria knew that the killing of Ken (Saro-Wiwa) will lead to the death of Shell, they would have thought better,” she said, regretting, however, that the marginalisation of the Ogoni people had continued till date.

The event featured goodwill messages from prominent Ogoni citizens, activists, traditional rulers, academics and stakeholders.

​