Femi Falana, SAN, has accused the late Gen. Sani Abacha’s military regime of orchestrating the 1995 execution of the Ogoni 4 and Ogoni 9 to protect oil interests in the Niger Delta.
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has accused the Sani Abacha military regime of masterminding the execution of the Ogoni 4 and Ogoni 9 in 1995.
Speaking at the 84th posthumous birthday lecture of Ken Saro-Wiwa in Port Harcourt, Falana said the military junta “killed the activists to protect oil interests and silence resistance.”
He revealed that Shell Petroleum was granted a licence to import arms, which later ended up with militant youths used to destabilize Ogoni communities.
Falana said: “When divide-and-rule tactics failed, the Task Force led by Col. Paul Okuntimo recruited militants to kill the Ogoni 4.”
He described the subsequent tribunal as a “mock trial,” noting that death sentences were secretly confirmed without proper records.
Falana added that the Oputa Panel later confirmed that the Abacha regime executed the activists and commended the Tinubu administration for granting them posthumous national honours.