Asaba Massacre at 59: GOMEP Demands Federal Apology, Permanent Memorial
By Fact Harbour News
Fifty-nine years after the Asaba Massacre of 1967, the Guild of Online Media Editors and Publishers of Nigeria (GOMEP-NG) has renewed calls for official acknowledgement of the tragedy, a possible Federal Government apology and the establishment of a permanent memorial to honour the victims.
The call was made in a commemorative message issued by the National President of GOMEP-NG, Comrade Akpovoke Otiti, as Nigerians and the Asaba community marked the 59th anniversary of the killings during the Nigerian Civil War.
The massacre occurred in October 1967 after Federal troops entered Asaba during the conflict. Historical accounts document the killing of civilians, with estimates of the number of victims varying across sources. The Asaba Massacre Memorial Monument records an estimate of more than 1,000 men and boys killed during the tragedy.
GOMEP-NG said the passage of nearly six decades should not result in the disappearance of the tragedy from Nigeria’s collective historical memory.
The organisation called for an official acknowledgement of the killings and urged the Federal Government to consider a formal apology to the victims, their families and descendants.
According to the Guild, reconciliation should involve confronting difficult historical events honestly rather than allowing them to remain largely unresolved in the national conversation.
GOMEP-NG also called for the establishment of a permanent Asaba Peace and Memory Centre, museum or memorial where the names, testimonies and historical records associated with the tragedy could be preserved for future generations.
The organisation further advocated the inclusion of the human cost of the Nigerian Civil War in Nigeria’s educational curriculum, arguing that younger generations should understand the consequences of violent conflict and the importance of protecting civilian lives.
The Guild’s position comes as the Federal Government appears to be moving towards a formal reconciliation process concerning the Asaba tragedy.
Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, represented by Secretary to the State Government Dr Kingsley Emu at the 59th anniversary memorial in Asaba, said the Federal Government was expected to make a formal reconciliation declaration.
Oborevwori said official acknowledgement of the tragedy was important to reconciliation and disclosed that Delta State had already recognised the massacre.
He also pledged continued state government support for national recognition of the victims and the establishment of a fitting memorial.
The governor urged Nigerians not to inherit the bitterness associated with the tragedy but to learn from it, stressing the need to prevent ethnicity, suspicion and political conflict from becoming justification for attacks on civilians.
At the same memorial, the Asagba of Asaba, Professor Epiphany Azinge, said the community had forgiven but would not forget what happened in 1967.
The traditional ruler maintained that a sitting President of Nigeria should publicly apologise to the people of Asaba, saying such an action would contribute to closure and healing.
The memorial also produced a significant reconciliation gesture from Major-General Ahmed Ibrahim Taiwo (retd.), whose late father, Colonel Ibrahim Taiwo, was associated with the military operations surrounding the events.
Ahmed Taiwo offered an apology to the Asaba community on behalf of his father and family. The Asagba subsequently declared that the community had accepted the apology and forgiven the Taiwo family.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who participated virtually in the memorial as chairman of the occasion, appealed to survivors and families of victims to embrace forgiveness and reconciliation.
Obasanjo described the massacre as one of the most painful episodes of the Nigerian Civil War and urged Nigerians to work towards ensuring that such a tragedy is never repeated.
However, the call for forgiveness has continued alongside demands for truth, acknowledgement and accountability.
The Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, said at the memorial that reconciliation should be accompanied by truth, justice, restoration and healing.
GOMEP-NG said the objective of remembering the Asaba Massacre was not to encourage revenge or reopen divisions from the civil war, but to ensure that the victims are not forgotten and that lessons from the tragedy contribute to a more peaceful Nigeria.
The organisation also paid tribute to the late Professor Emma Okocha, whose work, including Blood on the Niger, helped document and publicise the history of the Asaba killings.
As preparations begin for the 60th anniversary in 2027, calls for a permanent memorial and broader national recognition are expected to remain central to discussions surrounding the tragedy.
For GOMEP-NG, the Asaba experience remains a reminder that the protection of civilian life, accountability and historical truth should form part of Nigeria’s continuing efforts towards national reconciliation.
