By Titus Maduako Eleweke
An Anambra State-born human rights lawyer and lead counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to issue an unqualified public apology to the people of Asaba, Delta State, over the October 1967 massacre of innocent civilians during the Nigerian Civil War.
Ejiofor insisted that genuine healing, forgiveness and reconciliation cannot be achieved without an official acknowledgement of the tragedy and the suffering it inflicted on the affected community.
The lawyer, who holds the traditional title of Dunu-Ezeugosinachi, made the call in a statement titled “Weekend Musings: Asaba Massacre: 59 Years On, the Wounds Still Bleed , A Nation Cannot Heal by Pretending to Forget,” dated October 10, 2026.
In the statement, he observed that the pain of the massacre continued to linger in the collective memory of the Asaba community nearly six decades after the incident, stressing that the passage of time had not erased the emotional scars left by the killings.
He argued that a public apology by a sitting President would constitute an important acknowledgement of the suffering endured by the victims and their families, as well as the moral responsibility of the Nigerian state to confront the painful chapters of its history.
According to him, the people of Asaba, through their traditional ruler, the Asagba of Asaba, HRM Prof. Epiphany Azinge, SAN, have made it clear that they want an apology from the incumbent President, rather than from a former occupant of the office.
“There will be no closure, there will be no healing until a sitting President,not an ex-President, but a sitting President—publicly apologises to us,” Ejiofor quoted the Asagba as saying.
The Asaba Massacre occurred on October 7, 1967, during the Nigerian Civil War, when Federal troops entered Asaba.
Historical accounts describe the killing of hundreds of civilians, many of them men and boys who had reportedly gathered in the hope that peace had returned to their community.
Ejiofor recalled that the victims were ordinary civilians whose lives were cut short under tragic circumstances, leaving families shattered, women widowed and children without fathers.
He described the massacre as a tragedy that extended beyond the immediate loss of lives, arguing that it inflicted lasting emotional and psychological wounds on the community and raised enduring questions about accountability, historical memory and national reconciliation.
“The Asaba Massacre was not merely a tragedy of 1967; it was a wound inflicted upon the conscience of a nation,” he said.
The human rights lawyer noted that former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, had apologised for the massacre in retirement.
However, he said, the Asaba community was seeking a formal acknowledgement from a sitting President on behalf of the Nigerian state.
He maintained that the demand was not intended to promote revenge or reopen old wounds, but rather to recognise the victims, restore dignity to their families and strengthen the foundations of national reconciliation.
According to Ejiofor, acknowledging the massacre would demonstrate that the Nigerian government was prepared to confront historical injustices honestly and recognise the suffering of communities affected by the country’s civil conflict.
He also drew a comparison with Nigeria’s recognition of Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola and the designation of June 12 as Democracy Day, arguing that the country’s willingness to recognise significant historical events should extend to acknowledging the suffering of the people of Asaba.
He said a presidential apology would neither bring back those who were killed nor erase the trauma endured by their families, but would demonstrate that their lives and suffering had not been forgotten.
According to him, forgiveness and reconciliation should not be interpreted as reasons to avoid acknowledging historical injustices, adding that genuine healing requires honesty about the past.
“Forgiveness may be offered, but it must never be demanded as a substitute for acknowledgement; reconciliation must not become another name for forgetting,” he said.
Ejiofor urged the Federal Government to heed the position of the Asagba of Asaba and take concrete steps towards addressing the community’s demand for a presidential apology.
He stressed that the memory of the victims remained an important part of Nigeria’s shared history and should be preserved as part of the country’s collective national consciousness.
He further argued that national unity would be strengthened, rather than weakened, by the willingness of the government to confront painful historical events, acknowledge past wrongs and recognise the suffering of affected communities.
“The people of Asaba are not asking you to rewrite history. They are asking you to acknowledge it,” he said.
Ejiofor called for the continued remembrance of the victims, expressing the hope that their memory would serve as a lasting reminder of the need to protect innocent lives, uphold human dignity, pursue justice and build a nation founded on truth, accountability and genuine reconciliation.
