By Comfort Asemota
Dr. Reuben Atabo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), has raised alarm over what he calls “ample evidence of genocide in Nigeria,” highlighting that ongoing killings and mass displacement in several regions now meet the legal definition of genocide under both Nigerian and international law.
Speaking to journalists while marking his 36th year at the Bar, Atabo emphasized that the scale, persistence, and pattern of violence in parts of North-Central Nigeria indicate deliberate, systematic attacks targeting specific communities.
“Genocide is more than mass killings,” the senior lawyer explained. “It is the intentional, systematic destruction of a people based on their identity.”
Referencing the 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, Atabo pointed out that genocide includes targeted killings, serious bodily or mental harm, destruction of livelihoods, and forced displacement. He stressed that these warning signs are increasingly evident across Nigeria.
Atabo identified repeated attacks in Plateau, Benue, Kogi, Kwara, and neighboring states as deliberate and coordinated.
“These killings are targeted, systematic, and repeated. Entire communities are destroyed, farmlands deliberately ruined, survivors displaced into camps, and others forcibly removed from their ancestral homes,” he said.
The SAN compared the current situation in Nigeria to the early warning signs observed before the 1994 Rwandan genocide, cautioning that identity-based violence can escalate rapidly if ignored.
“The real danger lies not only in the killings but in government inaction, weak accountability, and the normalization of violence against certain communities,” Atabo added.
He clarified that his remarks were not aimed at any specific ethnic or religious group but focused on armed militias and institutional failures that leave vulnerable Nigerians exposed.
Drawing lessons from Rwanda’s post-genocide justice system, where suspects were prosecuted across multiple jurisdictions, Atabo stressed that impunity must be addressed to prevent further atrocities.
