NAME OF MECHANISM

Human Rights Violations Investigation Commission (Oputa Panel)

PERIOD OF OPERATION

14 June 1999 – 18 October 2001. The Human Rights Violations Investigation Commission (Oputa Panel) mandate stipulated the length of operation as no more than one year from the first public hearing, with extensions authorised in writing by Nigeria’s president. However, the Oputa Panel began operations on 23 October 2000 and concluded them on 18 October 2001, approximately 28 months after its establishment. An interim report was submitted to President Olusegun Obasanjo on 21 May 2002, with a final report submitted the following week.

MANDATE AND OPERATIONS

Mandate: Formed by former President Obasanjo “to establish the causes, nature, and extent of human rights violations between 15 January 1966 and 28 May 1999, to identify perpetrators, determine the role of the state in the violations and to recommend means to pursue justice and prevent future abuses.”

Staff: Eight Nigerian commissioners appointed by the president: Justice Chukwudifu Oputa (chair), Rev. Mathew Kukah, Mrs. Elizabeth Pam, Dr. Mudiaga Odje, Barrister Bala Ngilari, Mrs. Modupe Areola and Alhaji Adamu Lawal Bamalli.

RESOURCES

Oputa Panel Report: Synoptic Overview [Nigerian Muse | 2002]
Oputa Panel Report, vol. 1: Chairman’s Introduction, Origins of the Commission [2002]
Oputa Panel Report, vol. 2: International Context [2002]
Oputa Panel Report, vol. 3: Research Reports [2002]
Oputa Panel Report, vol. 4: Case-by-Case Records of Public Hearings [2002]
Oputa Panel Report, vol. 5: Briefs on Petition Memos [2002]
Oputa Panel Report, vol. 6: Reparation, Restitution and Compensation [2002]
Oputa Panel Report, vol. 7: Summary Conclusions and Recommendations [2002]
Oputa Panel Report, appendix: List of Witnesses [2002]
Oputa Panel Report, appendix: List of Exhibits [2002]

RESULTS

The Oputa Panel received 11,000 written petitions, from which 150 cases were selected for formal hearings by the panel. The report has never been officially released to the public. Faced with the government’s reluctance to publish the report and to implement the panel’s recommendations, the Nigeria-based Civil Society Forum and the Washington, DC-based Nigerian Democratic Movement released the report on 13 January 2005.

In May 2011, Rev. Mathew Kukah, a former Oputa Panel commissioner, noted that the Nigerian government’s inability or unwillingness to implement the panel’s recommendations would likely negatively affect politics and further entrench the culture of impunity in the country [All Africa | 24 May 2011].

BACKGROUND

Following independence in 1960, Nigeria’s government was faced with managing a large population marked by sharp ethnic and religious differences. From 1966 to 1999, the country suffered a number of military coups and several repressive regimes. Nigeria returned to democracy in 1999 with the election of Olusegun Obasanjo. On 14 June 1999, President Obasanjo established the Oputa Panel as part of reform efforts [BBC | 6 Oct 1999].

SOURCES

[All Africa | 24 May 2011]
[BBC | 6 Oct 1999]
[Nigerian Muse]