Rights group demands public release of report detailing alleged N6 trillion corruption scandal, says secrecy violates human rights obligations.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and four concerned citizens have filed a lawsuit against the Federal Government of Nigeria at the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice in Abuja over its failure to release the forensic audit report on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).e
The report, which was commissioned in 2019 by former President Muhammadu Buhari following widespread corruption allegations, allegedly reveals the disappearance of N6 trillion from the NDDC between 2001 and 2019, implicating top government officials and politicians. Despite submitting the report to the government, it has remained undisclosed.
Filed on Friday and marked ECW/CCJ/APP/35/25, the lawsuit seeks a court declaration that the government’s refusal to publish the audit violates Nigeria’s international human rights obligations. The plaintiffs are also urging the court to compel the government to release the report and adopt transparent measures to address accountability gaps in the use of NDDC funds.
According to SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, who disclosed the development on Sunday, the plaintiffs include Prince Taiwo Aiyedatiwa, Chief Jude Igbogifurotogu Pulemote, Ben Omietimi Tariye, and Princess Elizabeth Egbe. The legal team representing them consists of Kolawole Oluwadare, Kehinde Oyewumi, and Andrew Nwankwo.
The group emphasized that the continued concealment of the report perpetuates impunity and hinders public accountability. They argued that freedom of expression includes the right to access public information, asserting that without such access, democratic participation is weakened and the truth remains hidden.
They also cited recent allegations by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who claimed that the wife of a former minister received N48 billion over 12 months to train Niger Delta women—a claim they say underscores the need for urgent transparency.
“The obstruction of the report’s publication serves to cover up the grave corruption documented within it,” the plaintiffs stated. “The Nigerian government has not only failed to release the report but has offered no justification for its secrecy.”
Referencing Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, both of which Nigeria has ratified, the plaintiffs argue that access to public information is a fundamental right. These treaties, they say, place a positive obligation on the Nigerian government to disclose information in the public interest.
They stressed that access to the NDDC forensic audit is essential for justice, transparency, and citizens’ right to participate in governance. They also pointed out that any restriction on access to such information must be legal, necessary, proportionate, and in line with international human rights standards—not arbitrary or politically motivated.
The lawsuit insists that secrecy must remain the exception, not the rule, and that the government bears the burden of proving why the report should not be made public.
“No national security concerns have been cited, and the content of the report involves public funds, accountability, and corruption—issues that demand full public disclosure,” the suit argued.
The plaintiffs concluded that the denial of access to the NDDC report violates their right to legal remedy and undermines the rule of law.
As of the time of filing this report, no date has been fixed for the hearing.
0 Comments