The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered President Bola Tinubu to direct the Attorney General of the Federation to publish the names of individuals implicated in the alleged misappropriation of over N6 trillion intended for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) from 2000 to 2019.
This significant ruling was delivered on Monday, November 10, by Justice Gladys Olotu.
It also requires President Tinubu to make the NDDC forensic audit report, which was 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 lawsuit filed by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) in November 2021.
Justice Olotu stated that both the forensic audit report and the names of those indicted are considered “public records” under Section 31 of the Freedom of Information Act.
She emphasised that this information is not exempt from disclosure under Sections 11-19 of the Act, as it relates 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.
On November 22, 2025, SERAP formally urged President Tinubu to implement the court orders promptly, emphasising that compliance would reflect the administration’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and the rule of law.
