At 1.00 am on Sunday 22 May 1994, Ken Saro-Wiwa, respected Nigerian author and campaigner for Ogoni rights, was abducted after police and military broke into his home. He is being held at an unknown location, without charge, and concerns for his health are growing12. Amnesty International has declared him to be a 'Prisoner of Conscience'14. The Ogoni are attempting to force Shell to clean up their environment. Once described as 'the food basket of the state'16. Since August 1993, in a series of suspicious incidents, soldiers have stormed Ogoni villages, brutally murdering men, women and children and destroying Ogoni property including homes and schools. To date, over 1,000 people have been killed by raiders and 30,000 have been made homeless18, Shell argues that recent conflicts and violent activity are 'disputes between neighbouring communities over territory.' However, this has been rejected by Professor Claude Ake of the UN World Commission on Development and Culture, who was appointed by the military to investigate the outbreaks of violence. Referring to one such attack which was classed as an 'ethnic clash' between the Ogoni and the neighbouring Andoni, Professor Ake stated20.
This has been interpreted by many NGOs as a remit to allow foreign oil companies to continue drilling for oil in Ogoni without fear of demonstrations interrupting the flow of oil.
At the same time, and prior to Ken Saro-Wiwa's abduction, the Rivers State government announced a new law enforcing the death penalty for those found guilty of involvement in communal clashes. The Ogoni and others, such as Amnesty International, the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) as well as Greenpeace, fear that this will be used to sentence Ken Saro-Wiwa if charges are brought against him.