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Shari’ah Council asks Tinubu to sack INEC chairman over ‘Legal Brief On Genocide’
The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to dismiss the appointment of the newly inaugurated Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof Joash Ojo Amupitan.
Recall that Amupitan reportedly prepared a legal opinion for a major international report titled “Genocide in Nigeria: The Implications for the International Community.”
In the legal brief, Prof Amupitan allegedly described conflicts in Northern Nigeria as a continuation of the 19th-century Jihad led by Sheikh Uthman bn Fodio and characterizing them as “Christian genocide.”
He went on to call for urgent intervention to stop what he termed “pogrom and attacks against the Christians and minority groups in Nigeria.”
The report surfaced after the US President Donald Trump had earlier designated Nigeria as a country of particular concern, further threatening military action against Nigeria.
The US President cited what he described as ongoing violence against Christians and failure of the government to protect religious minorities.
However, the Nigerian government strongly denied persecution of any religious groups in Nigeria.
Amupitan’s legal brief a bigoted assertions against Muslims – Shari’ah Council
In a statement issued on Friday, November 7, 2025, the Shari’ah council described Amupitan’s legal brief as “provocative, distorted and bigoted assertions” against Muslims in Northern Nigeria.
The SCSN said it received with “deep disappointment and grave concern” the SaharaReporters investigation alleging that Amupitan’s 2020 legal document characterised Northern violence as “Christian genocide” and linked the insecurity in the North to the 19th-century Jihad of Sheikh Uthman bn Fodio.
The Council said it found such a stance “regrettable and disturbing”, especially from someone “now entrusted with overseeing Nigeria’s democratic integrity.”
“If indeed Prof. Amupitan authored the said document, his submissions are not only unbecoming of a person of learning but dangerously inimical to the unity, peace, and stability of our country,” the statement read.
The Council described Amupitan’s reported claims as “divisive, sectarian, abusive, and factually inaccurate narratives against a majority faith community.”
It further “categorically debunked the falsehood” contained in his alleged analysis of “Christian genocide,” insisting that the violence ravaging Northern and North-Central Nigeria is multi-dimensional and not a one-sided religious persecution.
“If we strip away the mischievous emotional language and examine the facts objectively, the reality is that the violence in Northern and North-Central Nigeria is complex and multi-dimensional. Both Muslims and Christians have suffered immensely from extremist attacks, banditry, and communal conflicts rooted in accumulated neglect, poverty, and social injustice.”
Citing humanitarian data, the SCSN claimed that Muslims have suffered more casualties than any other group in the ongoing crises.
“Credible humanitarian data from independent and international sources reveal that Muslims have suffered more casualties in these conflicts than any other group. This is an incontrovertible reality easily verified by mapping the epicentres of violence from Borno to Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, and Yobe, where over 90 percent of the victims are Muslims.”
The Council condemned what it called Amupitan’s attempt to associate modern insecurity with the historic jihad of Sheikh Uthman bn Fodio, describing it as “a malicious distortion of history and a deliberate insult.”
“The Jihad of Sheikh Uthman was not a war of hatred or extermination; it was a spiritual, moral, and social reform movement that restored justice, knowledge, and governance rooted in ethics. These instituted ideals are still admired across the African continent today.”
The SCSN said Amupitan’s record and writings “call into serious question his ability to conduct free and fair elections in a multi-religious, multi-ethnic nation.”
“Presiding over Nigeria’s electoral system demands the highest standards of neutrality, fairness, and inclusivity. By his own words, Prof. Amupitan has demonstrated a deep-seated prejudice that calls into serious question his ability to conduct free and fair elections.”
The Council, therefore, demanded that President Tinubu “immediately review and reverse” Amupitan’s appointment, declaring that “the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process cannot be entrusted to someone whose record reveals open hostility toward one of the country’s largest faith communities.”
The statement also appealed for calm among Nigerians across all religious divides, urging both Muslims and Christians to unite against common national threats.
“We urge all Nigerians, Muslims and Christians alike, to reject narratives that seek to pit one faith against another. Our common enemies are injustice, corruption, poverty, and insecurity.”
The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria, in conclusion, reaffirmed its commitment to peace, unity, and the pursuit of truth based on fairness and mutual respect.
On October 8, 2025, President Tinubu swore in Professor Amupitan as the sixth chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Amupitan, 58, is from Ayetoro Gbede in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State. He is a Professor of Law at the University of Jos, where he also studied.
He specialises in Company Law, Evidence, Corporate Governance, and Privatisation Law, and became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in 2014.
The Senate on Thursday called for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of a corps member, Etimbuk Daniel, at an NYSC orientation camp in Enugu.
The resolution followed a motion of urgent public importance moved by Sen. Aniekan Bassey (APC-Akwa Ibom North-East) during plenary.
Bassey said the Senate received with shock and profound grief the news of Daniel’s death while undergoing the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme in Enugu.
Etimbuk Daniel
He described the deceased as an outstanding student leader and former Students’ Union Government (SUG) president of Akwa Ibom State University who had embarked on national service.
Bassey expressed concern over reports that Daniel died following complications from a minor headache after allegedly experiencing delays in receiving adequate medical attention at the camp’s clinic.
He said the incident raised concerns about healthcare services in NYSC orientation camps, particularly the availability of qualified medical personnel, functional facilities and effective emergency referral systems.
The senator said the reported lapses highlighted the need to review healthcare delivery in orientation camps to prevent similar tragedies and protect corps members.
He emphasised that the government had a constitutional responsibility to safeguard citizens’ welfare, adding that young graduates mobilised for national service deserved adequate medical care throughout their service.
Bassey said Daniel’s death had plunged his family, the Akwa Ibom State University community and the entire state into mourning.
Seconding the motion, Sen. Mohammed Monguno (APC-Borno North) supported the call for an investigation, emphasising the importance of establishing the circumstances surrounding Daniel’s death and ensuring accountability.
The Senate observed a minute of silence in honour of the deceased and prayed that God would grant his family the strength to bear the loss.
It also called for a thorough investigation to establish the facts surrounding Daniel’s death and determine whether negligence contributed to the incident.
The Senate directed its committees on Police, Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Youth Development, and Health to investigate the matter alongside the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS).
Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, who presided over the proceedings, thanked Bassey for bringing the matter before the Senate and urged the relevant committees to conduct a thorough investigation. (NAN)
Senator Abdul Ningi has recounted how his colleague, Bello Mandiya, reportedly died after slipping in his bathroom and hitting his head, with his body discovered about 72 hours later in his Abuja residence.
Ningi, who represents Bauchi Central Senatorial District, said neighbours discovered Mandiya’s lifeless body after a foul smell began emanating from his apartment and residents became concerned about his prolonged absence.
Speaking during a Senate plenary session, Ningi said he was in Saudi Arabia when he received a telephone call from his son informing him of Mandiya’s death.
He said his son was among those who discovered the former lawmaker’s body on Monday, September 7, 2026.
Recounting the events leading to the discovery, Ningi said a colleague had last seen Mandiya at about 11am on Friday, September 4, before the former senator returned to his residence, where he lived alone.
According to him, Mandiya was preparing to attend the Friday congregational prayer when he reportedly slipped and hit his head after bathing.
“He brought out his cap, his phones, and put them on the bed, and went into the bathroom to take his bath,” Ningi said.
“After taking his bath, when he was out of the bathroom, then he slipped and knocked his head in the bathroom.”
Ningi said nobody realised what had happened until the stench from Mandiya’s apartment began spreading to neighbouring properties.
“For 72 hours, Mr President, nobody knew where Bello Mandiya was,” he told the Senate.
He said the chief imam of Apo also raised the alarm after noticing that Mandiya, who regularly joined other Muslims for the five daily prayers, had been absent for three consecutive days.
The combination of the imam’s concern and the foul smell prompted residents to investigate the apartment.
Ningi said those who went to the residence eventually broke open the door and found Mandiya’s body in the bathroom.
“And there lies Bello Mandiya in the bathroom, lifeless. Seventy-two hours, and that’s a simple tragedy,” he said.
Expressing sadness over the circumstances of his colleague’s death, Ningi said the incident highlighted the uncertainty of life, noting that nobody could predict when death would come.
He also expressed condolences to Mandiya’s family, the people of Katsina State and the constituents he represented in the Senate.
Before his election to the Senate, Mandiya served as chief of staff to former Katsina State Governor Aminu Bello Masari.
He was elected in 2019 on the platform of the All Progressives Congress to represent Katsina South Senatorial District and served in the ninth National Assembly until 2023. He also chaired the Senate Committee on Water Resources.
Mandiya’s death prompted tributes from political leaders and former colleagues, who remembered him for his contributions to public service in Katsina State and at the national level.
Ningi, who said he had known Mandiya since 2002, described the loss as a reminder that political office, wealth and social status could not shield anyone from the fragility of life.
“There is nothing permanent about anything. Nothing permanent about our position, nothing permanent about our wealth,” he said.
He prayed for Allah to grant the deceased eternal rest and give his family the strength to bear the loss. (Daily Trust)
Suspected political thugs have attacked the secretariat of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo State, destroying property at the facility.
The attack, reported on Wednesday, October 14, comes barely a week after NDC complained of a similar incident in Enugu.
A video circulating on social media showed damage to property within the Edo secretariat, although no casualties had been reported as of the time of filing this report.
In the footage, a woman accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of being responsible for the attack, linking the incident to the earlier violence in Enugu, which is being investigated by the police.
“The last one happened in Enugu, where one person allegedly died. Now they have brought it to Edo. APC, your end is here,” she said.
Her allegation against the APC has not been independently verified, while the identities of those responsible for the attack remain unknown.
The reported incident follows growing concerns over political violence ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The earlier incident in Enugu had prompted Governor Peter Mbah to demand an impartial police investigation, warning that anyone found responsible would face prosecution regardless of political connections.
It was not immediately clear whether security agencies had commenced an investigation into the Edo attack or identified any suspects.
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