The family of the Late environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa has rejected President Bola Tinubu’s posthumous pardon for the “Ogoni-9”, demanding a retrial and full exoneration instead.
Saro-Wiwa’s younger brother, Harry Wiwa, said the activists committed no crime and should not be “pardoned like criminals”. He insisted that the only acceptable justice is to clear their names and officially overturn the 1995 military tribunal verdict.
“They committed no crime, so how do you pardon a man who didn’t commit any crime?” Wiwa asked, saying: “We want a retrial so they can be exonerated”.
The Ogoni-9 – including Saro-Wiwa, Baribor Bera, Nordu Eawo, and others – were executed in 1995 under General Sani Abacha’s regime after a controversial trial condemned globally as unjust. Their deaths sparked international outrage and led to Nigeria’s suspension from the Commonwealth.
While the Saro-Wiwa family faulted Tinubu’s gesture, families of other pardoned figures – including nationalist Herbert Macaulay and former FCT Minister Gen. Mamman Vatsa – welcomed the move, describing it as an act of reconciliation and historical correction.
Prof. Kunle Macaulay hailed the pardon as a “symbol of political tolerance,” while Vatsa’s family called it a long-awaited vindication.
