The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) has urged on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately review the appointment of Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan’s as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), citing concerns over a legal brief he authored in 2020.
The demand follows an exclusive report by SaharaReporters alleging that Prof. Amupitan, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, once authored a document describing violence in the North as “Christian genocide” and linking insecurity to the 19th-century Jihad of Sheikh Uthman bn Fodio.
In a statement issued Friday, November 7, 2025 (16th Jumada I 1447 AH), the SCSN said it received with “deep disappointment and grave concern” the revelations contained in the report titled “Nigeria’s Silent Slaughter”, published by the International Committee on Nigeria (ICON). The group described the claims attributed to Amupitan as “divisive, sectarian, abusive, and factually inaccurate narratives against a majority faith community.”
The Shari’ah Council insisted that the violence ravaging Northern and North-Central Nigeria is not religious persecution but a complex mix of banditry, extremism, poverty, and social injustice. It noted, “The reality is that the violence in Northern and North-Central Nigeria is complex and multi-dimensional. Both Muslims and Christians have suffered immensely.”
The council added that credible humanitarian data shows Muslims account for the overwhelming majority of casualties. “Over 90 percent of the victims are Muslims,” the statement said. The group also condemned Amupitan’s alleged attempt to associate modern insecurity with the historic jihad of Sheikh Uthman bn Fodio.
