Nigeria is suspended from the Commonwealth

On November 11, 1995, the Commonwealth of Nations suspended Nigeria's membership following international outrage over the execution of nine Ogoni activists, including prominent writer Ken Saro-Wiwa. The 54-nation organization, led by countries like Britain, Canada, and South Africa, imposed diplomatic sanctions and threatened further economic measures. General Sani Abacha's military government had ignored global appeals for clemency, proceeding with the hangings despite widespread condemnation from world leaders and human rights organizations.

The executions stemmed from the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People's campaign against environmental destruction in the Niger Delta by multinational oil companies, particularly Shell. Saro-Wiwa and other activists had mobilized international attention to oil pollution and the marginalization of minority communities in oil-producing regions. The Abacha regime, increasingly isolated and authoritarian since seizing power in 1993, viewed the Ogoni movement as a threat to Nigeria's oil revenues and national unity, leading to a controversial trial that many observers condemned as fundamentally flawed.