Ken Saro-Wiwa, a prominent environmental activist, was executed on November 10, 1995, after a military tribunal sentenced him alongside eight other Ogoni activists. The Niger Delta faced devastating oil spills, prompting local protests against the military dictatorship's oppressive response. On the day of execution, Saro-Wiwa was subjected to a botched hanging that took multiple attempts. This brutal act occurred in a region crucial for Nigeria's economy, which relies heavily on oil exports. Decades later, Saro-Wiwa is commemorated as a hero for his fight against environmental injustices.
The Niger Delta, which produces the crude that earned Nigeria 80 percent of its foreign revenues, teemed with gun-carrying soldiers from the military dictatorship of the feared General Sani Abacha.
A week earlier, a military tribunal had declared his sentence. And just the day before, five executioners tasked with carrying it out had flown in from the northern city of Sokoto.
It took five attempts to kill him. After one failed tug, the activist cried out in frustration: 'Why are you people treating me like this? What kind of country is this?'
By 3:15pm, all nine men had been executed. Their bodies were placed in coffins, loaded into vehicles and escorted.
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