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Accountability Showdown! SERAP Demands Full Disclosure of NDDC Audit in Court
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), alongside four concerned Nigerians, has taken the government of President Bola Tinubu to court over its refusal to make public the forensic audit report on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
According to SERAP, the report, which covers the period between 2001 and 2019, indicts several top officials and politicians in the alleged mismanagement and disappearance of over ₦6 trillion from the agency’s funds.
This development was announced in a statement issued on Sunday by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare.
It will be recalled that in 2019, former President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the forensic audit in response to widespread allegations of monumental fraud and mismanagement within the NDDC.
SERAP further highlighted fresh allegations recently raised by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who claimed that the wife of a former minister received ₦48 billion in one year purportedly “to train Niger Delta women.”
The plaintiffs in the suit include Prince Taiwo Aiyedatiwa, Chief Jude Igbogifurotogu Pulemote, Ben Omietimi Tariye, and Princess Elizabeth Egbe.
Filed last Friday at the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice in Abuja with suit number ECW/CCJ/APP/35/25, the plaintiffs are asking the court to declare that the Nigerian government’s refusal to release the report is a violation of its international human rights obligations.
They are seeking:
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An order compelling the government to publish and grant access to the NDDC forensic audit report already submitted but kept secret.
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An order mandating the government to adopt concrete measures to strengthen transparency and accountability in NDDC’s financial management.
In their filings, the plaintiffs argued:
“The Nigerian government has violated our right to know the truth about the corruption allegations documented in the NDDC forensic report. Blocking the report’s publication perpetuates impunity and covers up these allegations.”
They stressed that freedom of expression inherently includes the right of citizens to access information on government activities:
“Without open access to information, truth will languish, and citizens’ participation in governance will remain fragmented and illusory.”
The plaintiffs maintained that the government has not only withheld the report but has also failed to provide any justification for its secrecy, despite having a legal duty to uphold transparency and enable public scrutiny.
The legal team—Kolawole Oluwadare, Kehinde Oyewumi, and Andrew Nwankwo—emphasised:
“There is overwhelming public interest in the release of the NDDC forensic audit report. The government’s continued refusal to publish it undermines the rule of law and violates our rights.”
They pointed out that the report is not a classified security document but rather concerns issues of transparency, accountability, and human rights protected under Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)—both ratified by Nigeria.
The suit further explains that these human rights instruments impose a positive obligation on the Nigerian government to grant access to such information.
“Access to information is a fundamental tool for building active citizenship. Nigerians have the right to participate in public affairs and demand accountability for the massive corruption documented in the report.”
According to the plaintiffs, making the report public would:
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Strengthen democratic participation,
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Empower citizens to hold government accountable,
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And help combat corruption in the country.
They argued that, in line with the principle of maximum disclosure, transparency must be the rule, while secrecy should be the exception—allowed only in narrowly defined circumstances justified under international law.
While acknowledging that the right to information is not absolute, they insisted that any restrictions must be clearly provided by law, pursue a legitimate objective, and remain necessary and proportionate.
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