GOMEP Marks 59th Anniversary Of Asaba Massacre, Demands Federal Apology And Permanent Memorial For Victims
By Credible Media Reporters
Asaba | October 7, 2026
The Guild of Online Media Editors and Publishers of Nigeria (GOMEP-NG) has remembered victims of the 1967 Asaba Massacre, describing it as a wound that Nigeria must never allow to repeat itself.
In a commemorative message to mark the 59th anniversary of the massacre, the National President of GOMEP-NG, Comrade Akpovoke Otiti, said Asaba will never forget the tragedy that claimed hundreds of innocent lives at the height of the Nigerian Civil War.
GOMEP-NG recalled that on October 7, 1967, federal troops under Colonel Murtala Mohammed advanced into Asaba and rounded up civilians. Men and boys, including elderly men and teenagers, were separated from women and children, taken to Ogbeosowa village square, lined up and shot.
The Guild noted that the victims had gathered in their akwa ocha — white clothes worn as a symbol of peace and reconciliation — believing their dress would demonstrate loyalty to a united Nigeria. Instead, fathers, brothers and sons never returned home, leaving behind shallow graves and a generational trauma.
According to historical accounts, the incident occurred during the civil war that followed the declaration of the Republic of Biafra from 1967 to 1970, which led to mass displacement, hunger and enormous loss of lives. Asaba’s pain, GOMEP said, was peculiar because it shattered families, disrupted the community’s social fabric and left psychological scars that have endured for nearly six decades.
Comrade Otiti said the enduring question in Asaba — “Ahabamegi eji gbuwe na ahia?” meaning What offence did the people of Asaba commit to deserve such killing? — remains unanswered, stressing that reconciliation without truth remains fragile.
The Guild stated that remembering Asaba is not about reopening old wounds for revenge, but about refusing to allow such wounds to be buried beneath silence. It noted that while the Federal Government’s post-war three Rs of Reconciliation, Reconstruction and Rehabilitation rebuilt infrastructure, the psychological reconstruction of victims’ families was never achieved.
GOMEP-NG called for a sincere official acknowledgement of the tragedy, including a possible Federal Government apology, establishment of a permanent Asaba Peace and Memory Centre, museum and memorial, as well as inclusion of the human cost of the civil war in school curricula.
The Guild also paid tribute to late Ogbueshi Professor Emma Okocha (Ikemba Ahaba) who preserved Asaba’s memory through his book Blood on the Niger, and echoed the call by Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah at the 50th anniversary for truth and reconciliation with victims’ families.
GOMEP-NG further warned that lessons from Asaba, Odi in 1999 and Zaki Biam in 2001 show that when state power is exercised without credible accountability, public trust collapses.
“Asaba lives matter. Nigerian lives matter. Every life matters. We must remember Asaba, reject hate and choose peace,” Comrade Otiti said, urging Nigerians to embrace justice, equality, security and dignity as foundations for true national unity.
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