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Last Updated: Friday, November 12th, 2004 HOME | Previous Page
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Ogoni 9 deserved to die � Daudu
By Sukuji Bakoji
Bureau Chief, Kaduna
Nine years after the regime of the late military Head of State, General Sani Abacha, carried out the death sentence
by hanging of renowned environmentalist and author, Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni men, the lead counsel to
the Federal Government in the case, Chief Joseph Bodunrin Daudu, SAN, has reaffirmed that the Ogoni 9 deserved
the penalty.
In an interview on Wednesday in Kaduna, he also criticised the media hype that trailed the trial and execution
of the nine men exactly nine years ago.
Daudu pledged that he would write a book on the Ogoni 9 case that will serve as a compendium of what actually transpired
for everyone to peruse and make independent judgement.
He said, �I have explained the issues several times and I won�t do it again. I will write a proper book on it and
everybody can make up his mind. It is only fair for me to let you know that the penalty for murder is death by
hanging.
�If a court finds a person guilty of murder, that court has finished its task. The rest is for the hangman who
carries out his duty once the appropriate authority signs the warrant for execution.
�Politics should be separated from strictly legal matter. It makes no difference if the man is an environmentalist,
if he is a writer, if he is someone dearly loved by the people. Once you are found guilty of murder, then you face
the music; and in this case, the judgement is available for anybody to go back and study.
�Ogoni gave evidence because of the Ogoni four that were murdered and up till today the heads have not been found.
The people (Ogoni 9) were fingered and the Ogoni gave evidence against them,� he added.
He, therefore, wondered why people should continue to whip up ethnic and political sentiments on the case, asserting
that the Ogoni 9 were actually given the ample opportunity to defend themselves but they declined because they
did not recognise the court, hence the trial judge gave his verdict.
�No matter how you analyse it, there are people who for their own political purposes and ends will always say that
what you have done is improper. But the point remains that the inability to respect the decisions of the courts
is our problem because we are unable to appreciate that no one is above the law,� he explained.
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