INEC: Foundation Demands Details Of Forensic Expert Hired To Probe Amupitan’s Alleged X Account
The Foundation for Digital Justice, a non-profit organisation, has written a letter to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) requesting the details of the forensic cybersecurity expert commissioned to probe the X account allegedly linked to Joash Amupitan.
On Monday, INEC released the findings of a forensic investigation into an alleged X account linked to Amupitan, its chairman.
The electoral umpire said the investigation found that the account, @joashamupitan, and all posts attributed to the INEC chairman were fake and “forensically unverifiable”.
INEC said it “commissioned an independent forensic cybersecurity expert, who conducted a multi-layered forensic and digital investigation using X platform data, internet archive records, OSINT tools, identity forensics and cross-platform analysis”.
The controversy began on April 10 when social media users circulated screenshots alleging that Amupitan operated the X account and made a partisan comment, “Victory is sure”, in response to a post made by Dayo Israel, the national youth leader of All Progressives Congress (APC).
The claim was further amplified by screenshots showing emails, phone numbers, OPay and bank verification number (BVN), which were circulated as proof of ownership.
In a freedom of information (FOI) letter dated April 21 and addressed to Amupitan, the foundation asked INEC to provide certified true copy of the full report of the forensic investigation conducted in relation to the X account
The foundation also demanded the full name and professional profile of the independent forensic cybersecurity expert or firm engaged by the commission to conduct the said investigation.
“A certified true copy of the Letter of Engagement or Service Level Agreement or any other legal documents executed between the Commission and the forensic expert or firm, detailing the specific Scope of Work (SOW) and terms of reference for the alleged forensic audit,” the letter reads.
“The total amount paid by the Commission to the expert or firm for the services rendered, including a breakdown of such payments.
“Any other necessary documents, including but not limited to, the procurement records and metrics used in selecting the expert and the internal certificates of completion for the task.
“We are confident that these requests will be treated urgently in line with the 7 days rule stipulated under Section 4 of the Freedom of Information Act 2011.
“In the unlikely event that our modest requests are not met within the statutory timeframe, we will be compelled to take appropriate legal steps, in furtherance of public interest.”
The FOI letter was signed by Moses Alabi, the legal manager of the foundation.
The copy of the FOI letter, seen by TheCable, was acknowledged by the office of the INEC chairman.
Hafsoh Isiaq is a graduate of Linguistics. An avid writer committed to creative, high-quality research and news reportage. She has considerable experience in writing and reporting across a variety of platforms including print and online.
