A prominent Nigerian organisation representing the Ijaw people—the predominant ethnic group in the oil-rich Niger Delta—has petitioned South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, demanding the immediate release of jailed militant leader Henry Okah.
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Okah, 60, is currently serving a 24-year prison term in South Africa over his alleged role in two car bombings in Nigeria in 2010. The attacks were claimed by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), an armed group that advocated for local control of oil resources and protested environmental degradation in the region. Okah, who lived in South Africa before his arrest, is widely regarded as a key figure in the group.
In its petition, the Ijaw Nation Forum (INF)—which represents Ijaw people in Nigeria and the diaspora—called for the “prompt, unconditional, and safe release of our son, Henry Okah, who has been unjustly incarcerated in South Africa since the 2nd of October 2010.”
The petition is endorsed by traditional rulers, community leaders, and minority and environmental rights advocates from the Niger Delta. Among the signatories are Alfred Diette-Spiff, the traditional ruler of Brass and former governor of Rivers State, and Felix Tuodolo, a former president of the Ijaw Youth Council, along with other Ijaw nationals within and outside Nigeria.
The Forum argues that Okah was wrongfully arrested in 2010 by South Africa’s Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, known as the Hawks, leading to what it describes as a flawed trial process. According to the group, section 15(6) of the Protection of Constitutional Democracy Against Terrorist and Related Activities Act mandates that such an arrest should have been carried out by the South African branch of Interpol. That is the law under which Okah was prosecuted.
The petition further states that the charges stem from events arising from “social unrest and protracted armed conflict, as defined by international humanitarian law, within Nigerian territory,” and not acts committed on South African soil.
“It thus stands to reason that in the absence of any formal complaint from the Nigerian state, Mr Okah’s arrest, trial, and imprisonment constitute an unwarranted intervention by South Africa in an armed conflict in Nigeria,” the Forum said.
They described the Niger Delta militancy as “a quest for self-determination” and “a manifestation of a people’s collective will to resist oppression, aggression, and subjugation by the Nigerian state in collaboration with Western multinational corporations extracting petroleum resources from our land.”
The Forum acknowledged its opposition to violence but insisted that figures like Okah have “legitimate and compelling reasons for fighting for their people’s freedom.” It added: “We shall no longer remain passive observers while an individual who has dedicated the greater part of his life to championing justice for his people continues to suffer grave injustice. We, therefore, call for Okah’s immediate release.”
The statement was issued by the Ijaw Nation Forum, established in 1995 to promote dialogue and defend the interests of the Ijaw people and the Niger Delta region. The petition was submitted to the South African Presidency on behalf of the Forum by Kabowei Akamande, a US-based Ijaw activist.
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