Noo Saro-Wiwa author and daughter of the late environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa has expressed her disappointment at the Nigerian government over its treatment of her father.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday to mark her father’s 25th death anniversary, Noo said her family was forced to reassemble Saro-Wiwa’s skeleton to give him a proper burial after he and eight others murdered by the General Sani Abacha regime were buried in an unmarked grave for over 10 years.
“25 years ago today, my father Ken Saro-Wiwa and his eight colleagues were murdered by Nigeria’s military regime after a sham trial. Their only ‘crime’ was to peacefully pursue human rights for the Ogoni people and to campaign against oil spills in the oil-rich Niger Delta,” she wrote.
“Their bodies were buried in an unmarked grave for almost a decade. When our family finally received my father’s remains we had to reassemble his skeleton with our own hands before giving him a dignified burial.
“To this day the Nigerian government has not granted him an official pardon. It speaks volumes about our so-called democracy. No government can call itself civilised or claim any moral authority while it refuses to exonerate these innocent men. Black lives will matter outside of Africa only when they matter in Africa itself.”
Saro-Wiwa was tried by a special military tribunal for allegedly masterminding the gruesome murder of Ogoni chiefs at a pro-government meeting.
He was hanged on November 10, 1995 by the military dictatorship of General Sani Abacha. His execution provoked international outrage and resulted in Nigeria’s suspension from the Commonwealth of Nations for over three years.
