Last Updated- May 26, 2009 9:49 - - 0 Comments


Shell on trial in New York for Saro-Wiwa’s death

The Late Ken Saro-Wiwa

In 1995, one of the African continent’s prolific writers and environmental activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa was sent to the gallows together with eight others by Sani Abacha’s brutal regime after a trial that was obviously flawed.

The Late Abacha, who ruled Nigeria with an iron fist, and was known as the ‘Butcher of Abuja’ ignored persistent international appeals for clemency, went ahead and hung Saro-Wiwa and his kinsmen over an alleged murder of Ogoni chiefs by Oboni youth allegedly incited by Saro-Wiwa.

The other eight who were executed together with Saro-Wiwa are Dr. Barinem Kiobel, John Kpuinen, Baribo Bera, Saturday Dobee, Felix Nwate, Nordu Eawo, Paul Levura and Daniel Gboko.

Nearly 14 years on, and the oil giant, multinational Royal Dutch Shell is due to stand trial today, Tuesday May 26, 2009 in New York, accused of complicity in the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa, according to reports in the international media.

Saro-Wiwa was leader of the Ogoni rights group, the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP). The group’s aim has always been to fight for the rights of the Ogoni minority group on whose land oil was being extracted and yet they were living in abject poverty and marginalization.

The hanging of Ken Saro-Wiwa and his eight compatriots drew huge international outcry, and led to some sanctions against the Abacha regime.

The trial today in New York is as a result of two lawsuits accusing Royal Dutch Petroleum Company and the former managing director of its Nigerian subsidiary of complicity in the decision to hang the men.

The case is being seen as a test of whether transnational companies owned or operating in the US can be held responsible for human rights abuses committed abroad.

By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi

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