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Ogoni Activists Reject Tinubu Pardon, Demand Full Exoneration and Cleanup

Ogoni leaders say the pardon overlooks their innocence, leaving decades of oil contamination unaddressed.

FILE PHOTO: Nigerian President Bola Tinubu looks on as he meets with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in Cape Town, South Africa, December 3, 2024.REUTERS/Esa Alexander/File Photo
Documentation gathered in support of Esther Kiobel's case against Shell. Esther Kiobel who is taking on one of the world’s biggest oil companies – Shell – in a final fight for justice. She has pursued them for more than 20 years, accusing Shell of colluding in her husband’s killing. Shell’s quest for oil in the Niger Delta, facilitated by the Nigerian government, resulted in decades of pollution, devastating the local community. In response, this community of Indigenous Ogoni people launched a protest movement in the 1990s that government security forces – at Shell’s insistence – took every opportunity to crush. Their efforts culminated in the 1995 sham trial and subsequent hanging of the leaders of the Ogoni resistance as well as Esther’s husband, Dr Barinem Kiobel. The killing of the Ogoni 9, as they later became known, prompted a global outcry. Amnesty International called on our vast network of supporters to deluge the Nigerian authorities first with appeals for the men’s freedom, and later with letters of outrage. Ultimately, however, it is Esther alone who has endured repeated hardship in her struggle to have her husband’s name cleared. In a classic David vs Goliath face-off, Esther will finally see her case with Shell go to court this June in the Netherlands. Is her 22-year battle for justice about to end?
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Overview

  • President Bola Tinubu on Democracy Day issued a posthumous pardon for the Ogoni Nine, who were executed in 1995 following a military tribunal criticized for its lack of due process.
  • Activists from the Ogoni Solidarity Forum denounced the pardon as insulting and insisted on formal exoneration since the men never committed any crime.
  • Environmental campaigners say Shell must clean up toxic spills and compensate affected Niger Delta communities before any oil operations resume.
  • Tinubu’s spokesperson said the president will consider calls for exoneration, signaling potential for further legal recognition of the activists’ innocence.
  • Niger Delta residents continue to contend with polluted water and damaged farmland, fueling demands for binding corporate accountability and government action.