Court orders FG to name culprits in N6tn NDDC scandal

The Federal High Court in Abuja has directed President Bola Tinubu to compel the Attorney General of the Federation to publish the names of individuals indicted in the alleged misappropriation of over N6tn meant for the Niger Delta Development Commission between 2000 and 2019.

The landmark ruling, delivered on Monday, November 10, by Justice Gladys Olotu, also mandates President Bola Tinubu to make the NDDC forensic audit report, submitted to the Federal Government on September 2, 2021, publicly available.

The judgment was obtained in certified form last Friday following a Freedom of Information suit filed by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project in November 2021.

Justice Olotu ruled that the forensic audit report and the names of those indicted constitute “public records” under Section 31 of the Freedom of Information Act.

She noted that the information is not exempt from disclosure under Sections 11-19 of the Act, as it pertains to the management of public funds.

The refusal of the President and the Attorney General to publish the audit report or act on the allegations, despite formal demand by SERAP, constitutes a breach of their statutory duties under the Freedom of Information Act, Section 15(5) of the Nigerian Constitution, and Nigeria’s international obligations to promote transparency and accountability,” Justice Olotu said.

The court emphasised that every citizen has the right to access information in the custody of public officials, and that the Freedom of Information Act imposes a non-discretionary duty on public institutions to release such information.

SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, described the judgment as a “ground-breaking victory for transparency and accountability in the spending of public funds,” urging the Tinubu administration to comply immediately.

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, praised the judgment, calling it “one of the most patriotic public interest litigations ever undertaken in Nigeria,” and stressed that delayed enforcement could undermine both the fight against corruption and the rule of law.

In a letter dated November 22, 2025, SERAP formally urged President Tinubu to implement the court orders without delay, stressing that compliance would demonstrate the administration’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and the rule of law.