Oputa Panel: The Tale Of A Neglected Supposed Remedy Against Injustices

The Oputa Panel (Human Rights Violations Investigation Commission) was set up by the Obasanjo administration in year 2000, to investigate human rights abuses dating back to the military coup of January 15th 1966 till May 28th 1999, the day before the last military handover to civilians. The body constitutes; Chief Chukwudifa Oputa (a Court Justice) as the head, Reverend Father Matthew Kukah as secretary, Mrs Elizabeth Pam, Dr Mudiaga Odje, Barrister Bala Ngilari, Mrs Modupe Areola and Alhaji Adamu Lawal Bamalli as members. Below are the timeline of the Oputa Panel sittings:

• October 23rd, 2000: The Oputa Panel began sitting officially
• November 27th 2000: Major Hamza Al-Mustapha testified
• December 8th 2000: Babangida and some former military intelligence chiefs were favoured in a high court ruling not to appear before the Panel on personal security grounds
• January 26th 2001: Ogoni people appear before the Panel in Port Harcourt
• April 18th 2001: Enugu sitting of the Panel to receive testimonies and petitions
• April 26th 2001: Ohanaeze testify in Enugu
• July 25th 2001: Ohanaeze, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) make presentations before Panel in Abuja over the January 15th 1966 coup
• September 11th 2001: President Olusegun Obasanjo appears before Panel to give evidence
• October 8th 2001: Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) testifies before Panel in Abuja where star witness, Major General Ibrahim Haruna was cross-examined
• October 18th 2001: Last day of sitting of Panel
• October 31st 2001: IBB gets a favourable judgment from the Court of Appeal “that the Oputa Panel cannot summon Babangida” to defend himself and his security chiefs on the murder of Dele Giwa
• May 21st 2002: Panel submits “Interim Report” to President Olusegun Obasanjo in Abuja in six volumes
• May 28th 2002: Panel submits “Main Report” to President Olusegun Obasanjo in Abuja in 60 large boxes
• June 3rd 2002: IBB files a suit still before Federal High Court asking it “to stop the President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, from implementing the report of the Oputa-led Human Rights Violations Investigation Commission”. This suit was jointly filed with the former Director of Military Intelligence, Col. Halilu Akilu and Brigadier General Kunle Togun. The defendants are; The President, Olusegun Obasanjo, Attorney General of the Federation and Justice Oputa and his Commission
• February 3rd 2003: IBB gets a favourable judgment from the Supreme Court that the Panel had “no powers to summon witnesses outside the Federal Capital Territory” and further “that the 1999 Constitution made no provision for tribunals of inquiry”.

Till date, as far as shocking and useful the revelations in the Oputa Panel were, the reports are yet to be published and those indicted are yet to be punished accordingly – what a country!


When the General Officer Commanding (GOC) Two Division of the Army during the Nigerian-Biafran War, Major General Ibrahim Haruna (Rtd) was called upon to testify for the second day running of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) at the Oputa Panel for his alleged dastardly role in the war on 8th October, 2001, he declared that he had no regrets for the Asaba massacre in which over 500 Igbo men (civilians) were killed by his troops. He also revealed that Nigeria’s late Prime Minister, Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa-Balewa had a foreknowledge of the 1966 coup that claimed his life. (It was said that the then GCO Aguiyi-Ironsi informed the Prime Minister of an imminent coup a week before the coup, but he just didn’t budge). On the 14th of January, the British government were said to have given him invitation to pass the night at the British High Commission in Lagos to escape the coup, he turned it down revealing that the mutineers will still kill him there! Major General Haruna who was cross-examined by the Ohanaeze Ndigbo’s counsel, Chief Anthony Mogbo (SAN) said whatever action he or his troops took during the war was motivated by a sense of duty to protect the unity of the Country. Hear him in his own words, “As the Commanding Officer and leader of the troops that massacred in Asaba, Owerri and Ameke-Item, I acted as a soldier maintaining the peace and unity of Nigeria.” He went further, “If General Yakubu Gowon apologised, he did it in his own capacity. As for me I have no apology, it was as barbaric as the 1966 coup; it was as barbaric as the pogrom, if there was also any other atrocity, the Kano extra judicial killing was as barbaric as that.” Haruna also recommended that General Muhammadu Buhari, General Yakubu Gowon and General Ibrahim Babangida be charged with failure to investigate the 1966 coup during their different terms as head of States. He said, “Charge Buhari, Gowon, Babangida for not investigating the 1966 coup on the grounds of dereliction of duty.” (The clown forgot to mention the trial of the perpetrators of the July 29th retaliatory coup).

When he was questioned further on the rationale behind Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) tagging the 1966 coup an ‘Igbo Coup’ in spite of Alhaji Balewa, M.D Yusuf then a police officer, Col. Maimalari and many others of Northern extraction having prior knowledge of the coup, he declined response. He disclosed that the North had planned a Jihad on the day of the coup, insisting that the statement “Igbo, Igbo, Igbo you are no longer part of Nigeria” credited to the former Prime Minister (Balewa) was a misinterpretation of the actual intent.

On the Gideon Akaluka incidence of 1994 in Kano, Gen Haruna said that it was wrong to say that the Kano State government never punished the killers of Mr Gideon Akaluka, saying 20 unarmed persons were victims of extra-judicial killings which were supposed to be a deterrent. In his words, “My Lord, I do not know who ordered the extra-judicial killing, nor where they were killed. All I know is that the Kano State Government killed 20 people linked to the barbaric act.”

Going by the above, Major General Haruna has shown that he is just like his boss (Gowon) although I love his gut he was bold enough to declare his position without mincing words, unlike Gowon who is pretending to be remorseful but still keeping a posture of “I am innocent” despite the fact that commanders under his watch were killing, maiming innocent lives!