“There is no way I or MOSOP could have planned such an act, and I will always stand by that, no matter the decision made here. My Lord, I appeal for just one thing, the Ogoni people have suffered greatly in this country. They have contributed so much to Nigeria, yet the Niger Delta is in serious danger. We need all the help we can get.”
These were Ken Saro-Wiwa’s last words in court before he was sentenced to death by hanging by the military regime of General Sani Abacha..
According to history, several key figures played a role in his execution on November 10, 1995. These included then British Prime Minister John Major, Michael Birnbaum QC, and Brian Anderson, who was the head of Shell in Nigeria at the time.
Saro-Wiwa was first arrested in June 1993 and detained for a month before being released. However, on May 21, 1994, four Ogoni chiefs,who were on the opposing side of a conflict within MOSOP were murdered.
Although Saro-Wiwa was not in Ogoniland that day, he was arrested and accused of inciting the killings. He denied the charges but was imprisoned for over a year before being found guilty by a special tribunal. The same fate befell eight other MOSOP leaders, who, along with him, became known as the Ogoni Nine.
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