The Gokana Unity Forum and families of the Ogoni Four, victims of the 1994 Giokoo massacre, have demanded the release of their remains to enable closure and reconciliation.

In a statement by Dr Chris Barigbon, Secretary of the Gokana Unity Forum, during a town gathering in Bodo community, the group urged the leadership of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) to take immediate steps to recover and release the remains of the four martyrs: Albert Badey, Chief Edward Kobani, Chief Theophilus Orage, and Chief Samuel Orage.

The forum also called for an unreserved public apology to the families of the victims over the Giokoo massacre, lamenting MOSOP’s failure to implement the Terms of Reconciliation signed in 2001.

Barigbon said the group was deeply concerned about the prolonged inaction, stressing that reconciliation would remain incomplete without justice and closure for the affected families.

Speaking at the event, Kenneth Kobani, son of the late Chief Edward Kobani, expressed the families’ readiness to forgive but maintained that retrieving the remains of their loved ones was crucial for healing and proper closure.

The families further appealed for justice, accountability, and international support in their pursuit of truth and reconciliation.The remembrance gathering also featured a procession to the compound and graveside of the late Albert Badey and Chief Edward Kobani in Bodo, where traditional rites were performed.