Fifty-nine years after hundreds of civilians were killed during the Nigerian Civil War, the Federal Government is set to make a formal reconciliation declaration over the Asaba Massacre, Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori has disclosed.
Oborevwori made the disclosure on Wednesday through the Secretary to the Delta State Government, Dr Kingsley Emu, at a memorial ceremony in Asaba commemorating the victims of the 1967 tragedy.
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The governor said official recognition of the massacre by the Federal Government was an important step towards reconciliation, noting that Delta State had already acknowledged the tragedy.
“An official acknowledgement by the respective governments is critical. Delta State has acknowledged the tragedy. Nigeria will acknowledge it, and we believe the world will also acknowledge it,” Oborevwori said.
He added that the state government was hopeful that the Federal Government would soon make the proposed reconciliation declaration.
“A formal reconciliation declaration will be made by the Nigerian government, and we are hopeful that this will happen,” he said.
The governor said the recognition of the massacre should not be viewed as an attempt to reopen old divisions or attack Nigeria.
Rather, he argued that confronting painful chapters of the country’s history was necessary to prevent similar tragedies from happening again.
“Never again should ethnicity, suspicion or political conflict become a licence for the killing of innocent people,” Oborevwori said.
He urged Nigerians to learn from the past without allowing its bitterness to shape the future.
“Do not inherit its bitterness; inherit its lessons,” the governor added.
Oborevwori also pledged the state government’s continued support for efforts to secure national recognition of the massacre and establish a fitting memorial centre in honour of those who lost their lives.
The Asagba of Asaba, Prof Epiphany Azinge, said the people of Asaba had forgiven those responsible for the tragedy but would not allow the events to be erased from history.
Azinge maintained that full closure could not be achieved without a public apology from a sitting President of Nigeria.
“We have moved on,” he said, but added that “there will be no closure and no healing until a sitting President of Nigeria publicly apologises to the Asaba people.”
His position underlined the long-standing demand by sections of the Asaba community for an official acknowledgement and apology over the killings.
The memorial also produced an emotional moment when retired Major-General Ahmed Ibrahim Taiwo, son of the late Major Ibrahim Taiwo, apologised to the people of Asaba.
His father was an Army officer associated with the events surrounding the massacre.
Taiwo said he had spent years researching his father’s role and the circumstances surrounding the killings before deciding to publicly apologise.
“I cannot change what happened, but I believe and pray that this gesture can be a step towards reconciliation,” he said.
The apology was one of the most poignant moments of the memorial, as the community continued its efforts to confront the painful legacy of the Civil War.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who sent a recorded message to the memorial, described the Asaba killings as one of the darkest and most disturbing aspects of the Nigerian Civil War.
Obasanjo said he was deeply affected after receiving documents detailing the massacre and urged Nigerians to embrace forgiveness while ensuring that the lessons of the past were not forgotten.
“Never again will such a black and unpleasant day occur in Nigeria or anywhere else in Africa,” he said.
His message reinforced calls for reconciliation and national healing while acknowledging the need to remember the victims.
The Isama Ajie of Asaba and convener of the memorial, Chief Chuks Nduka-Eze, said the central message of the commemoration was simple: Nigerian lives matter.
He questioned why the country had yet to provide a full national account of the circumstances surrounding the killing of civilians in Asaba.
The Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, also called for a comprehensive process of truth, justice, restoration and healing.
Achebe argued that forgiveness should come after those steps rather than being used as a substitute for them.
“There must be truth. There must be justice. There must be healing. And then, forgiveness can follow,” he said.
Emu disclosed that the proposed memorial centre would preserve the names, testimonies and historical records of victims and survivors of the massacre.
He said the available records might not yet be exhaustive but that survivors’ accounts and documented names provided an important foundation for preserving the history.
“We have survivors. We have testimonies. We have names, even if they may not yet be exhaustive,” Emu said.
He added that the people of Asaba had endured the consequences of the massacre for decades but had emerged stronger.
According to him, the reconciliation process should focus on forgiveness and healing rather than revenge.
The Asaba Massacre occurred during the Nigerian Civil War in October 1967, when Federal troops entered Asaba after the capture of the town.
Large numbers of civilians were killed, with men and boys among those targeted.
The exact death toll has remained a subject of historical debate, but the tragedy has endured as one of the most painful episodes associated with the civil war.
For decades, survivors and descendants of victims have continued to seek official recognition, historical documentation and a national memorial.
The Federal Government’s proposed reconciliation declaration could therefore represent a significant development in the long-running campaign for acknowledgement.
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For Asaba leaders and survivors, however, recognition is only one part of the journey. The broader demand remains for truth, justice, remembrance and healing — so that the tragedy is neither forgotten nor repeated.
David Okere is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering business, governance, public affairs, and human-interest stories with a commitment to accuracy, balance, and public interest reporting.
