By Njoku Chijioke
The Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL), has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s posthumous pardon of the late Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni men, describing the move as “morally unjust and factually inaccurate.”
In a statement on Monday, CACOL said the pardon implies guilt and falls short of delivering true justice.
The group insists that the Ogoni Nine were victims of state-sponsored murder and must be fully exonerated, not merely pardoned.
Tola Oresanwo, CACOL’s Director of Administration and Programmes, stated that the men “committed no crime” and were executed unjustly.
“What the Nigerian state owes them and their families is not a pardon, which suggests wrongdoing, but a complete exoneration.
“The judgment of the tribunal that convicted them should be quashed,” Oresanwo said.
Last Thursday, President Tinubu granted a full posthumous presidential pardon to Ken Saro-Wiwa and the eight others, referring to them as national heroes.
While the gesture has been welcomed by some, CACOL believes it does not go far enough to redress the historical injustice.
The group called on the President to issue a formal apology to the families and communities affected, acknowledge the innocence of the slain activists, and hold accountable those who orchestrated what they described as a judicial murder.
“The path to true reconciliation lies in restorative justice, not symbolic gestures,” the statement said.
The debate continues over whether presidential pardons are adequate tools for correcting grave human rights abuses.
For CACOL, only full exoneration can restore the honour of the Ogoni Nine and offer real justice to their loved ones.
