Former President of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), Legborsi Pyagbara, has called on the Federal Government to issue a formal apology to the Ogoni people for decades of state-sponsored violence that led to the deaths of over 2,000 persons during the Ogoni struggle.

In a bold statement, Pyagbara insisted that a judicial review of the Justice Ibrahim Auta-led tribunal which sentenced Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni leaders to death in 1995 must be carried out as part of the healing process. While acknowledging the gesture by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to honor the memory of the slain activists, he stressed that an apology—not a pardon—is what the Ogoni people truly deserve.

 “The blood of over 2,000 Ogonis cannot be washed away with mere symbolism. A national apology, followed by a judicial review, is the only path to justice,” Pyagbara stated.

He urged President Tinubu to draw inspiration from international reconciliation efforts, such as those in South Africa and Rwanda, where governments have taken bold steps to admit past wrongs and rebuild trust with victimized communities.

Meanwhile, a faction of MOSOP led by Lazarus Tamana has also issued a strong warning to the Federal Government to stay away from the Ogoni oil fields amid ongoing environmental cleanup operations. The group demanded an immediate review of Saro-Wiwa’s execution, declaring that justice is incomplete without full accountability.

The statement reads: “You cannot revisit the oil in Ogoniland while the wounds inflicted by the state remain fresh and unaddressed. We demand justice, not exploitation.”

As the nation marks yet another year since the execution of the \"Ogoni Nine,\" the calls for justice, truth, and a genuine reconciliation process continue to grow louder.

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