The following press release comes from the Ogoni Community Association website. The numbers by the names appear to refer to their numbering on the charge or indictment (similar numbers appeared in the NY Times anti-Ken Saro-Wiwa ad a few weeks ago).
Notice that MOSOP is calling for protests to demand specifically the disbanding of the Ogoni Civil Disturbances Special Military Tribunal. This is the same court which ordered the execution of the Ogoni Nine, the same court whose processes Amnesty International has already condemned.
The _Weekly Mail & Guardian_ (Johannesburg) of Dec 22 reports that the nineteen accused face essentially the case from prosecutors as the nine men who were executed November 10. Chris McGreal, writing from Lagos, characterizes the evidence as "even weaker" than in the earlier case. Of the nineteen, only four were identified by more than one witness, and fourteen were identified only by Godwin Gbodoo, according to the story.
The OCA press release identifies Gbodoo as accused number 14, so once again the prosecution case seems to hinge on the testimony of a man facing a death sentence if found guilty himself.
In addition, McGreal reports that five of the nineteen have been identified as having been "among the crowd" but not as "one of the attackers," which he infers means that they were outside of the house where the four Ogoni chiefs were killed.
Chris Lowe <chris.lowe@reed.edu>
MOSOP wishes to inform the general public in Nigeria and the international community that charges have now been formalised for the arraignment of nineteen more Ogonis before the so called Ogoni Civil disturbances Special Military Tribunal, in January , 1996.
Names of the detainees are contained in Charge No.OCDT/PH/3/95, dated 18/9/95 and are as follows:
1. BARITURE BANO LEBEE 11. KAGBARA BASSEH 2. JOHN BANATU 12. ADAM KAA 3. BABINA VIZOR 13. SAMPSON NTIGNEE 4. POBGBARA ZORZOR 14. GODWIN GBODOO 5. FRIDAY GBURUMA 15. SAMUEL ASIGHA 6. YEDAL NAASIKPO 16. NWINBARI PAPA 7. PAUL DEEKOR 17. BENJAMIN KABARI 8. ELIJAH LEKIE BADOM( Alias Monday Kabari) 9. BLESSING ISREAL 18. BARIBUMA KUMANWE 10. TAAGALO K. MONSI 19. NGBAA BAOVI
MOSOP wishes to note that although Taagalo Monsi (10), Ngbaa Baovi (19), and Baribuma Kumannwe (18) were arrested in the last week of October and first arraigned in a magistrates court on Friday, October 27, 1995. Again while Michael Dogara was arrested, arraigned and detained with them (27/11/95) he is not on the charge list because they found out he comes from Bodo, the native town of late Chief Edward Kobani.
MOSOP also wishes to draw attention to the fact that Mr. Adam Kaa had actually been in detention in the Bori camp cell since March, 1994 for some other matter before May 21, 1994 suspects were brought in there but was erroneously taken to the SIIB cell where he was surprisingly identified by Alhaja Kobani during an identification parade there. These errors were pointed out to Major Paul Okuntimo who ignored the plea.
The witch hunting of Saro-Wiwas MOSOP members, youths, chiefs, and elders alike have been intensified in the bid to leave no trace of activism in Ogoni.
MOSOP calls on all men of goodwill at home and abroad to put pressure on government to disband the military tribunal which has now been left in place specifically for Ogonis. You must act to prevent further judicial murders in Ogoni.
Dornu Saaka
Secretary
MOSOP CRISIS MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
Copyright: The Ogoni Community Association - UK, 1995.
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