Tinubu’s INEC Chairman, Prof. Amupitan, Authored 2020 Legal Report Describing Killings in Nigeria as Genocide
Controversy Trails New INEC Chairman Over 2020 Genocide Report
Fresh revelations have emerged concerning Nigeria’s newly appointed Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN), following reports that he authored a 2020 legal brief describing widespread killings and violence in Nigeria as acts of genocide.
According to a document obtained by journalists, the brief formed part of a publication titled “Nigeria’s Silent Slaughter”, released by the International Committee on Nigeria (ICON) — a consortium of Nigerian and global human rights advocates.
In the report, Prof. Amupitan, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and constitutional law scholar, called for urgent international intervention, warning that the killings targeting Christians and minority groups could mirror the atrocities witnessed in Rwanda and Sudan if not addressed.
“Genocide in Nigeria”: Amupitan’s Legal Warning to the World
The document, signed under his law firm — Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) & Co. Legal Practitioners & Corporate Consultants — and bearing Jos and Abuja office addresses, strongly linked the then-escalating violence to a systemic failure of governance.
In his article titled “Legal Brief: Genocide in Nigeria – The Implications for the International Community,” Prof. Amupitan wrote:
“It is a notorious fact that there is perpetration of crimes under international law in Nigeria, particularly crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide.”
He lamented the government’s inability to protect citizens or prosecute offenders, stressing that this neglect had made “international intervention both a moral and legal necessity.”
According to Akahi News, the legal brief directly accused two violent groups — Boko Haram and the Fulani herdsmen — of fuelling an “orgy of bloodbath” across several Nigerian states, leading to mass displacements and humanitarian crises.
While acknowledging that Boko Haram had been declared a terrorist group in 2013, Prof. Amupitan faulted the government’s reluctance to formally designate the Fulani herdsmen as terrorists, despite their alleged role in widespread massacres.
Accusations of Constitutional Failure and State Negligence
In his legal reasoning, the senior lawyer asserted that the Nigerian government had violated its constitutional duty to ensure the welfare and security of citizens — the “primary purpose of government.”
He argued that the victims of these violent campaigns were “mainly the Christian population and minority ethnic groups in Nigeria,” describing the situation as one demanding “remedial actions under international law.”
Amupitan’s brief went further to examine Nigeria’s historical and ideological roots of religious violence, linking the 19th-century Uthman Dan Fodio jihad to what he termed “modern manifestations of religious expansionism.”
“Following the jihad of Uthman Dan Fodio, the Sokoto Caliphate was established — a religious triumphalism that sought to dip the Quran in the Atlantic Ocean,” he wrote. “That ideological continuity persists today in the form of extremist movements and political manipulation.”
He alleged that successive governments had protected this legacy through “systemic favoritism and political accommodation of northern power blocs.”
Concealing Genocide: “A Strategy to Guard Sovereignty”
Prof. Amupitan also criticised Nigerian authorities for deliberately avoiding the word genocide in official communications, claiming it was a strategy to evade international accountability.
“States are skeptical of naming genocide the way it is to avoid committing resources to stop it and punish perpetrators. Concealing genocide becomes a strategy to guard sovereignty and protect ego, at the expense of innocent lives,” he argued.
He warned that the ongoing killings, if left unchecked, could erode the moral and legal fabric of Nigeria’s statehood, as “no nation survives sustained atrocities against its own citizens without accountability.”
Calls for International Intervention and Global Responsibility
Concluding his brief, Prof. Amupitan urged the United Nations and the global community to intervene decisively in Nigeria’s deepening crisis.
“The alleged involvement of State and non-State actors in crimes under international law in Nigeria has complicated an already complex situation,” he stated. “The urgency now lies in neutral and impartial third-party intervention, especially by the UN and its key organs, as well as major world powers.”
He emphasised that international law supersedes absolute state sovereignty in cases of genocide and crimes against humanity, adding that global cooperation was “a compelling moral duty in an interconnected world.”
Political Implications of Tinubu’s Appointment
Akahi News gathered that Prof. Amupitan’s appointment by President Bola Tinubu has sparked debate among political observers and human rights advocates, given his previous criticisms of state institutions.
While his supporters describe him as a principled academic and reform-minded lawyer with a strong moral compass, critics argue that his past writings could raise questions about impartiality as head of Nigeria’s electoral body.
As the country braces for forthcoming elections, attention will likely turn to how Prof. Amupitan manages the delicate balance between his human rights advocacy background and the non-partisan integrity expected of the INEC Chairmanship.
By Joseph Iyaji | Akahi News
Joseph Iyaji is a journalist, educator, and founder of Akahi G. International, Akahi Tutors, and Akahi News. Read more about him here.
Akahi News http://www.akahinews.org
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