Thisday:Saro-Wiwa: Outrage in Ogoniland over Useni’s Remarks
General Jeremiah Useni may have stirred the hornet, nest as his alleged justification of the killing of late Ken Saro-Wiwa by the regime of General Sani Abacha , has drawn the ire of the people of the Niger Delta.
Ogoni Youths Council (OYC) led by Marvin Yobana yesterday gave Useni a seven-day ultimatum to either apologise over his reported justification of the killing or face legal action for the murder of the late activist.
This is coming as the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) described Useni’s statement as most unfortunate for a person of his standing, describing it as “disappointing and irresponsible.”
MOSOP which spoke through its Information Officer, Mr. Bari-ara-Kpalap, insisted that there was no way the extra-judicial murder of Saro-Wiwa could be justified since he did not kill anyone. He pointed out that the attitude of the likes of Useni makes it difficult for the wounds of the past injustice to the region to heal. Yobana, on his part, said Ogoni youths were not surprised that he could make such a statement since they had long known of his alleged involvement in the conspiracy which led to the killings of their prominent men.
He insisted that the only thing that would assuage their anger was for him to make a public apology renouncing his unfortunate statement against the spirit and soul of their loved and respected ones.According to him the statement by Useni coming when it did was like reopening old wounds which people like President Olusegun Obasanjo tried to heal.
“The former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, tried his best to reconcile the Ogonis. He sponsored a unity hall in memory of those fallen heroes. If the government sees them as criminals, why would the president come all the way to do that?
“We are giving Jeremiah Useni seven working days to tender his unreserved apology to the Ogonis and the entire Niger Delta, otherwise we will institute a legal proceeding against him at the international and national courts for him to be arrested and tried for human rights violations and for his part in the crime of judicial murder of Ken Saro-Wiwa and the others, ” Yobana warned.
