THE HANGING OF SARO-WIWA: ABACHA CROSSES THE RUBICON by Burtonsville, MD, USA When I heard the news only this evening that Saro-Wiwa had been judicially
murdered by the Abacha junta, a cold chill ran down my spine. My first
reaction was that it was a cruel joke by Abacha, similar to that played by
a man who pretended that he was dead, just to see how his family would
react, who of them would gloat over his "dead" body. Now, although I have
still not seen Ken's dead body, I fear that he is really dead. I hope that you don't take me to be cruel, but I never felt moved to write
a single letter of clemency on behalf of Ken. I certainly did not want
him to die, but coming at the heels of a TORRENT of letters of clemency on
behalf of people like Obasanjo and Shehu Yar'Adua and others who allegedly
THREATENED his lif - which Abacha heeded - and the TORRENT of protests
about Saro-Wiwa, I thought that Abacha would think twice, and that if he
didn't, no letter would do it. I thought, and yet again, I remembered Gwadabe and his disclosure on the
ITSIHARA and Abacha's marabouts, and once again, I truly felt that EVIL
NOW RULES OUR LAND. Ken's murder should now make that clear to Abacha's
supporters or so-called NEUTRALISTS that evil now rules our land. I
strongly felt that Ken may have to be the SACRIFICIAL MARTYR to wake up
the many slumbering Nigerians, both on this Net and elsewhere, or those
Nigerians who feel that our fight for democracy in Nigeria is child's play
on behalf of Abiola, or for the Yoruba, or for our own future ambitions,
who oppose us at every turn, sometimes scornfully. And please note:
Ken's plight was never a Rivers State affair; it belonged to all
OPPRESSED PEOPLE - that is - us. Abacha has crossed the RUBICON of decency in our land, and there can be no
turning back in our effort to remove him and his clique from power
PERMANENTLY. He has turned our whole country into a GROUNDED PLANE, with
him as the PRIMARY HIJACKER, Nigerians (including those of us abroad) as
his passengers, and the DETAINED "COUPISTS", Abiola and other political
prisoners as his special prizes. Ken Saro-Wiwa was the first murdered
victim TOSSED ONTO THE TARMAC of the world, for the world to see that the
hijacker is not kidding. And as in all hijackings, we must now plot to
storm the plane to remove the hijacker, before he kills his passengers one
by one. We of course fully realize the risk that many may be killed in the
process. Abacha has crossed the RUBICON of decency, and Ken Saro-Wiwa has become
the MARTYR, a rallying cry around which we must all unite. Because of
this action, international sanctions against Nigeria will follow
willy-nilly, no longer just because of June 12, but because of the sense
of outrage which this murder implies. And the ordinary Nigerian will now
suffer, the suffering that those who had previously opposed sanctions now
have no possibility to prevent. Abacha has crossed the RUBICON of decency, once again showing that we are
a colonized country, colonized by the military, colonized by a sectional
cabal. When the military of Japan and Germany conducted crimes against
humanity, there were international sanctions against them when the war was
over which curtailed their powers. The same must now apply in Nigeria:
after this nightmare is over, we simply cannot have our military, this
military, in place. I have some tribal thoughts. Zamani Lekwot was accused of inciting a
Zango-Kataf insurrection in which hundreds were killed - he was condemned
to death, his sentence was commuted, he is now free after 5 years in jail.
Saro Wiwa, an Ogoni, is similarly accused, he is condemned, the verdict is
rapidly ratified, he is killed within two days ! What double standard !
Any explanation ? I am reminded of Shehu Yar'Adua (yes PRINCE YAR'ADUA),
condemned to death for treason, along with others, he is commuted to life.
What is going on here ? Some lives are expendable, others are not ? Let
no one pretend that there is nothing tribal going on here. Protest all
you can, idiot, THERE IS SOMETHING ETHNIC GOING ON HERE !!!! The Igbos,
Rewane, Saro-Wiwa - who is next ? Abacha has crossed the RUBICON of decency, and so has MANDELA. Mandela
was jailed FOR 27 YEARS by WHITE jailers, who could have HANGED him within
the first year, or the second, or the twenty-sixth, for MURDERS that he
did not deny that he planned. The WHITE jailers did not kill him, rather
they preserved him until he now is their president, and enjoys
international esteem. And yet he played FOOTSIE with Abacha, with
"constructive engagement", only to be "humiliated" by Abacha, according
to Desmond Tutu. Now he angrily leads a call of SANCTIONS against
Nigeria, too little too late. I lose all respect for MANDELA, and that is
permanent. Abacha has crossed the RUBICON of decency, and Shell must be made to FEEL
it. The least we can do is START AN INTERNATIONAL BOYCOTT of all SHELL
STATIONS AND PRODUCTS, and have each one of us, wherever we may be, shout
"MURDER" AND "BLOOD MONEY" in front of every Shell Station that we are
close to today, every day, once a week, once a month, until they act
morally in Nigeria. Abacha has crossed the RUBICON, and we must stop asking the international
community to do for us what we must do for ourselves. If it doesn't know
by now, it never will. We should simply ask that they don't stand in our
way. I have crossed the RUBICON on Abacha, because I now firmly believe that HE
IS THE EVIL that is determined to ruin our country. And it is doubtful if
we still have a country. Rest in peace, Kenule Saro-Wiwa, but your death helps our cause for
freedom in Nigeria. For those who are alive, can we stop talking ? Bolaji Aluko November 10, 1995