Human Rights Violations Investigation Commission (HRVIC) or the Oputa Panel
YEARS OF OPERATION
It was appointed in 1999 and was in operation between 2000 and 2001.
MANDATE AND OPERATIONS
Mandate: Established by then President Olusegun Obasanjo to investigate human rights violations, between 1966 and May 28, 1999.
Staff: Seven commissioners.
Structure: Public Hearings held in Abuja, Lagos, Kano, and Port Harcourt.
Results: 11,000 petitions received by commission, 150 cases selected for further investigation.
FINAL REPORT
Concluded and presented findings and recommendations in May 2002 to President Olusegun Obasanjo, but the report has never been officially released. Because of the reluctance to publish the report and to implement the commission’s recommendations, a coalition of pressure groups, called the Civil Society Forum, released the report on January 13, 2005. It is made of 7 volumes, and additional sections on recommendations, a list of witnesses and exhibits. The report can be found at: http://www.kwenu.com/record/2005/ndm_oputa.htm;
and more information on the Oputa Panel can be found at
October 2007: In June 2002, after the submission of the final report, several individuals challenged President Obasanjo's authority to establish the HRVIC. In February 2003 the Federal High Court ruled in favour of the petitioners on the grounds that the 1999 Constitution did not make provision for tribunals of inquiry and the HRVIC did not have authority to summon witnesses from outside the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja.
Previously, at least two court rulings (in December 2000 and October 2001) had limited the power of the HRVIC to compel General Babangida and others to appear.
