Ogoni Political Liberation Lies in Intra-Tribal Restitution – Royal Father Says at Ogoni Four Memorial

For Ogoni land to be free from political strangulation, developmental retrogression and cultural stagnation, there must be restitution among the sub-tribes and communities in the area, a traditional ruler, His Royal Highness, Mene Kadilo Barina Kabari has said.

King Kabari made this call on Thursday, May 21, 2026 while speaking on the sidelines of a memorial mass to mark the 32nd anniversary of the 1994 Giokoo killings at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Bodo City in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State.

The Giokoo killings of 1994 involved the famous Ogoni Four — Albert Badey, Edward Kobani, Theophilus Orage, and Samuel Orage, who were gruesomely murdered at Giokoo in Gokana LGA.

The Royal Father, who is the Natural and Paramount Ruler of Ancient Barako Community in Gokana LGA of the State, called on Ogoni people to embrace unity, reconciliation, and restitution amongst themselves.

Mene Kabari, who is also the Welfare Officer of KAGOTE Worldwide, averred that this is the pathway to the political liberation and progress of Ogoniland, observing that this year’s memorial comes at a highly charged political era in the nation.

He stated that the 2026 memorial of the Giokoo killings should serve as a wake-up call to the present generation of Ogoni people with Ogoni seemingly lost in the political equation of the country, asserting that “the remembrance of these great leaders carries a deeper message for the Ogoni ethnic nationality”.

“It is not just an ironic coincidence but also a direct message from our ancestors. You cannot kill your best leaders, continue destroying yourselves politically, continue as a crab society, and expect the best in Rivers State,” he lamented. “Ogoni people must restitute amongst themselves.”

In his capacity as a member of the Governing Council of the University of Port Harcourt, Mene Kabari commended the Federal Government for what he described as ongoing efforts at restitution for past wrongs against the Ogoni people.

He specifically acknowledged the environmental cleanup of Ogoniland, started under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari through Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), describing it as a major form of environmental restitution.

Recognizing the consolidatory efforts of the current Federal Government, the traditional ruler highlighted some beneficial initiatives and appointments offered to the Ogoni people.

He said that these included the establishment of the Federal University of Environment and Technology, presidential honours, infrastructural development on the East-West Road and Bodo-Bonny Road, as well as the nomination of Chief Kenneth Kobani and Magnus Abe into strategic national positions in the oil and gas industry.

“Spectacularly, the double barrel nomination of Chief Kenneth Kobani to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority, and inauguration of distinguished Senator Magnus Abe as Chairman of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) tells the doctor to treat his own sickness.”

“We are most grateful; we trust their capacities and stand resolutely with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for these remarkable forms of socio-economic restitution by the Federal Government under his watch,” he said.

Finally, he said the lessons from the deaths of the Ogoni Four, Ogoni Nine (Now Ogoni 13), and other victims of the Ogoni struggle must guide the present generation towards peace, reconciliation and unity.