Ken Saro-Wiwa and the other Ogoni activists, famously known as the "Ogoni Nine," were sentenced to death on October 31, 1995, under the regime of General Sani Abacha. This event remains a significant chapter in Nigerian history due to the human rights concerns surrounding their trial. Saro-Wiwa was an outspoken environmentalist, author, and advocate for the Ogoni people in Nigeria’s Niger Delta, where environmental degradation caused by multinational oil companies had affected their land and livelihoods.
His trial was criticized internationally, as it reportedly involved coerced witness testimonies and lacked due process. The international community condemned the verdict, which led to sanctions against Nigeria and further isolated the country on the global stage.
Also, on this day in 1907, Nigeria’s first mental health facility, the Yaba Lunatic Asylum (now the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba), was established in Lagos. Initially influenced by colonial attitudes, it has grown over the decades into an essential institution for mental health care in Nigeria, known colloquially as "Yaba Left."