The Asagba of Asaba, Epiphany Azinge, has said the community will continue to seek accountability over the 1967 Asaba massacre despite its decision to forgive members of the family of a military officer linked to the killings.

Azinge spoke on Wednesday during the 59th anniversary commemoration of the massacre in Asaba, Delta State, where he said forgiveness should not mean erasing the history of the victims. He disclosed that the community had forgiven the family of Colonel Ibrahim Taiwo and accepted an apology from his son, retired Major General Ahmed Taiwo.

According to The Sun, the monarch said the community still expected a public apology from a sitting Nigerian president before it could consider the matter fully resolved. He said such an apology would be significant to the healing process, noting that former military Head of State Yakubu Gowon had apologised after leaving office.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who participated virtually as chairman of the memorial event, had urged survivors and relatives of victims to embrace forgiveness. He described the Civil War and the Asaba killings as painful parts of Nigeria’s history and called for reconciliation while stressing the need to preserve the memory of the tragedy.

Azinge, however, questioned the “never again” message in light of the 1999 Odi killings, which occurred during Obasanjo’s presidency. The monarch’s remarks underscored the community’s position that reconciliation should go alongside acknowledgement and accountability.

The Asaba massacre occurred between October 5 and 7, 1967, during the Nigerian Civil War, when civilians were killed in the Delta community. The anniversary has continued to generate calls for national recognition of the tragedy and the establishment of a permanent memorial ahead of the 60th anniversary in 2027.