On 1 October 1960, Nigeria gained independence from Britain, with Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa as the prime minister and the British monarch, Elizabeth II, as the constitutional head of state. On 1 October 1963, Nigeria became a republic, with Nnamdi Azikiwe as the first independent president. Since its independence, the country has struggled with...
The final report of the Human Rights Violations Investigation Commission, also known as the Oputa Panel, was not published but unofficially released in 2015. The original report ordered an investigation into military rule that began in 1966 and lasted until 1999 when the country returned to democratic rule. The mandate also sought to acknowledge Nigeria’s...
The Joint Communique establishes a Joint Commission to implement the ruling of 10 October of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), through demarcating the land boundary between the two countries and making recommendations on inter alia confidence building through regular meetings at various levels, developing joint economic ventures and cross-border cooperation.
The Nigerian Human Rights Violations Investigation Commission – later named the Judicial Commission for the Investigation of Human Rights Violations, and commonly known as the Oputa Panel after its head Chukwudifu Oputa – was inaugurated on 14 June 1999 by then President Olusegun Obasanjo and operated until 2001. The commission was mandated to investigate the...