The Ijaw Nation Forum (INF), a prominent socio-cultural organisation representing the Ijaw ethnic nationality, has appealed to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to grant clemency to Niger Delta freedom fighter, Henry Okah, who has been serving a 24-year jail term in South Africa since 2010.
In a petition submitted to the South African Presidency, the group described Okah’s imprisonment as “unjust, politically motivated, and a betrayal of African solidarity.” They accused South Africa of yielding to external political pressure during Okah’s trial, calling on President Ramaphosa to demonstrate his country’s long-standing commitment to justice and human rights by granting Okah his freedom.
Okah, 60, was convicted by a South African court over the October 1, 2010 twin bomb blasts in Abuja, which killed 12 people during Nigeria’s 50th Independence Day celebration. South African prosecutors had accused him of masterminding the attack from Johannesburg under the country’s anti-terrorism law — the Protection of Constitutional Democracy Against Terrorist and Related Activities Act (POCDATARA).
However, Okah has consistently maintained his innocence, insisting that his prosecution was politically motivated and aimed at silencing his advocacy for the rights and resource control demands of the Niger Delta people.
The petition, signed by over 100 prominent Ijaw leaders, including former Rivers State governor and Amanyanabo of Twon-Brass, King Alfred Diete-Spiff, and Dr. Felix Tuodolo, a founding member of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), argued that South Africa’s involvement in Okah’s case was “a hostile and unlawful interference in a Nigerian domestic conflict.”
INF claimed that Okah’s arrest by South Africa’s Directorate of Priority Crimes (the Hawks) violated international law since Interpol, not South Africa, had jurisdiction over such matters. They further alleged that during his 15 years in detention, Okah has endured “extreme psychological and physical torture,” leaving him with facial deformities, while his family has suffered severe losses.
In their statement, the group drew parallels between Okah’s situation and South Africa’s own anti-apartheid struggle, accusing the ANC-led government of hypocrisy for participating in what they described as the repression of Niger Delta activists.
“It is deeply ironic that a government born out of armed resistance now supports the oppression of those fighting for justice in the Niger Delta,” the forum stated. “Imagine if the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe had been arrested and tried abroad for acts committed during the struggle against apartheid.”
While stressing that it does not endorse violence, the INF said Okah’s actions should be understood within the context of a long-standing fight for environmental justice, self-determination, and equitable resource distribution in Nigeria’s oil-producing region.
The forum’s petition, submitted by Ijaw activist Kabowei Akamande to the South African Presidency, renews public focus on lingering grievances in the Niger Delta — a region critical to Nigeria’s oil economy but plagued by decades of neglect, pollution, and underdevelopment.
By appealing directly to President Ramaphosa, the Ijaw Nation Forum hopes to secure Henry Okah’s release and reignite conversations about justice, fairness, and peace in the Niger Delta.
Key Signatories include:
HRM King Alfred Papapereye Diete-Spiff (CFR), Felix Tuodolo (PhD), High Chief Dame Julie Okah-Donli, Udengs Eradiri, Alaowei (Dr) Oyeinfie E. Jonjon, Chief Godbless Ayabakari, Kabowei Akamande, Prof. Sabella Ogbobode Abidde, Daniel Wilson, among others.