Rufus Taiwo Akinyele (born 2 February 1959) is a Nigerian professor of African History at the University of Lagos, and the Vice Chancellor of Maranatha University, Lagos. His research interests cut across the fields of African history, inter-group relations and border studies, and he has published numerous articles in several peer-reviewed journals in these areas. With his studies on the Oodua Peoples' Congress among others, he has earned recognition as one of the leading authorities on ethnic militia across the world. Akinyele is the convener of the International Multidisciplinary Conference on ‘Land and Development’ at the University of Lagos.