The Appeal Court sitting in Port Harcourt has on Thursday dismissed an appeal seeking to exonerate late Ken Saro-Wiwa, an environmental activist as well as eight others who were found guilty and sentenced by an Ogoni Civil Disturbance Special Tribunal in 1995.
Justice Cordelia Jombo-Ofo struck out the appeal filed by a human rights group, Conscience of Ogoni People for lack of merit in Port Harcourt on Thursday.
She stated that the decree that established the defunct Special Tribunal on the Ogoni Civil Disturbance was not properly constituted, adding that the reasoning of the judgement was not consistent.
The Judge said the appellant, Conscience of Ogoni People, did not state their interest and relationship with the deceased persons or the damages or injuries it suffered by their deaths.
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She noted, “The appellant was merely out in the matter to exercise his academic prowess and failed to show the court the dispute between him and the defendant.
“It is not the function or duty of the court to engage in academic exercise or speculation, the court was established to determine live issues”
On his part, the National Coordinator, Conscience of Ogoni People, Chief Gani Toba who expressed dissatisfaction with the judgement, said he would head to the Supreme Court.
Toba added that he had hope and confidence that justice would be served at the Supreme Court.
“We are heading to the Supreme Court. It is sad that the right of the minority could be denied even at this level. I had an inclination that today’s judgement would look like this and I’m not surprised.
“I have hope in the Supreme Court of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, that it would do justice to this matter because Ken Saro-Wiwa was killed wrongly and that must be corrected because if it is not, it will happen again.” [PUNCH]
