Let’s go back in time to the story of the Ogoni nine, the martyrs for environmental justice worldwide. The Ogoni Nine were a group of nine activists from the Ogoni region of Nigeria who opposed the oil exploration and the operating practices of the Royal Dutch Shell oil corporation in the Niger Delta region. The first oil was extracted in 1958 and the first documented oil spill occurred in 1970. Their opposition started as a result of extreme environmental degradation due to oil extraction… a venture that was of little-to-no benefit to the the ogoni people. In 1990, a group known as the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People, MOSOP presented the Ogoni Bill of Rights, demanding political autonomy, (which simply refers to the right to stand on its own and make its own decisions) a fair share of oil revenues, and environmental remediation from the Nigerian government and oil companies.
MOSOP's campaign was notably non-violent. The movement grew too loud to ignore. And the military government responded with brutal force. The region was militarized, and over 1,000 Ogoni people were killed in the ensuing crackdown.
In 1994, after four Ogoni chiefs were killed in a mob attack, Ken Sarowiwa, a renowned Nigerian author and environmental activist, leader of MOSOP was arrested and accused of incitement to murder, despite being barred from the area that day. Witnesses later admitted they were bribed to give false testimony against him and eight other MOSOP leaders.
Meet the Ogoni nine: Ken Sarowiwa, Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo, Daniel Gbooko, Paul Levera, Felix Nuate, Baribor Bera, Barinem Kiobel, and John Kpuine. Despite worldwide appeals for mercy, including calls from figures like Nelson Mandela, the Ogoni Nine were found guilty. Put on a trial widely condemned as a sham under the false pretext that the group had incited the murder of four Ogoni chiefs, they were hanged on the 10th of November 1995 and buried in Port Harcourt Cemetery.
The executions provoked global outrage which led to Nigeria's suspension from the Commonwealth.
In 2009, Shell agreed to an out-of-court settlement of $15.5 million in a lawsuit brought by the SaroWiwa family and others, though the company admitted no wrongdoing.
The struggle continue…
Thirty years later, in June 2025, the Nigerian government pardoned the Ogoni Nine and called them heroes. But for the families and communities, this is not enough. They demanded full exoneration, and the environment in the Niger Delta is still being polluted.
The environmental devastation in Ogoniland remains largely polluted, and the fight for justice and a clean environment continues.
Today its no longer just the story of the Ogoni people. The stories of oil pollution, environmental degredation, use of military oppressio and the divide-and-rule tactics of oil multinationals is a song that can be heard through the creeks of the Niger Delta and its oil producing communities.
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