Stakeholders under the Ogoni Business Owners in America (OBOA) have called on the Nigerian government to declare armed herdsmen a terrorist organisation, citing escalating violence in rural communities.

Chief Anthony Waadah, OBOA president and traditional ruler, lamented that armed herdsmen and bandits are destroying farmlands and killing innocent citizens. In a statement titled “Ken Saro-Wiwa Lives On: the unfinished struggle for justice, dignity, and accountability in Ogoniland,” Waadah warned that the Ogoni people would lawfully defend their land, families, and rights.

He stressed, “Self-defense is not rebellion; it is a universal human right.” Waadah also urged that oil exploration in Ogoniland should not resume until proper environmental clean-up, remediation, and justice for the people are achieved.

Highlighting ongoing environmental neglect despite over $1 billion spent, he said, “The water remains polluted, the soil is poisoned, the air is toxic, and our people continue to die of preventable diseases.” Waadah demanded transparency and accountability from the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) and called for an investigation into the alleged disappearance of $300 million from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

He further called for educational and developmental reforms in Ogoniland, including the establishment of a Federal Government College to complement the existing Federal University of Education, emphasizing that the future of the region should be built on knowledge and opportunity, not just oil.