FG Plans Formal Reconciliation Declaration Over Asaba Massacre

Oborevwori, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Kingsley Emu, made the disclosure during the 59th anniversary memorial of the massacre in Asaba, where hundreds of people were killed during the Nigerian Civil War.

The governor said official acknowledgement of the tragedy remained critical to reconciliation, noting that Delta State had already recognised the massacre. “A formal reconciliation declaration will be made by the Nigerian government, and we are hopeful that this will happen,” he said.

The Asagba of Asaba, Prof Epiphany Azinge, said the community had forgiven but would not forget the tragedy, insisting that “there will be no closure and no healing until a sitting President of Nigeria publicly apologises to the Asaba people.”

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, in a recorded message, described the massacre as “one of the most painful and disturbing aspects of the Nigerian Civil War” and urged Nigerians to embrace forgiveness.