MONEY CAN'T BRING BACK OGONI 9

By NBF NEWS

me family members of the nine persons killed in Ogoni, Rivers State, in 1995 said yesterday  that no amount of money would  return the dead persons to life.

They  told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Bera, Gokana Local Govern-ment Area yesterday, that the hanging of their family members brought untold hardship to them.

Reacting to the $15.5 million compensation offered by Shell Petroleum Develo-pment Com-pany (SPDC), they contended that the money could not be equated with the lives of their loved ones.

Mrs Blessing  Eawo, widow of the late Mr Nordu Eawo, said she would only accept the money if other affected families agreed. “We are all in the struggle together; so if all the families agreed to accept the compensation, I will not be different,” she said.

The mother of eight, however, called on Shell and Ogoni leaders to ensure that the money got to the real family members of the fallen heroes.

The younger brother of late John Kpuinen, Mr Barizondu, said that the compensation did not in any way  address the issues that the nine leaders died for

“If Shell knew it would pay compensation, why did it not pay while  the Ogoni heroes were alive?` Well, I must say that even with the compensation, the issues of neglect and deprivation which we have been crying for are still there. These issues must be addressed,'' he stressed.

NAN reports that the late  Kpuinen was the only son of Mrs Matilda Kpuinen,who is now in her 80s and only survives on the goodwill of other family members.