Tinubu Ordered to Release NDDC Forensic Audit Report, Name Corruption Suspects

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 allocated to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) between 2000 and 2019.

In a landmark judgment delivered on Monday, November 10, Justice Gladys Olotu also instructed the President to make public the full NDDC forensic audit report submitted to the Federal Government on September 2, 2021.

The ruling, certified last Friday, stems from a Freedom of Information suit filed in November 2021 by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP). Justice Olotu held that both the audit report and the list of indicted persons qualify as “public records” under Section 31 of the FOI Act.

She further ruled that the information is not protected by any exemption under Sections 11–19 of the Act, as it concerns the handling of public funds. According to her, the failure of the President and Attorney General to release the report despite SERAP’s formal request constitutes a breach of their statutory duties, the Nigerian Constitution, and the country’s international transparency commitments.

SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, hailed the judgment as a major step toward accountability, urging the Tinubu administration to comply without delay. Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, also commended the ruling, describing it as a patriotic milestone in public interest litigation and warning that delayed enforcement would undermine the fight against corruption.

In a letter dated November 22, 2025, SERAP formally called on President Tinubu to immediately implement the court’s orders as a demonstration of his administration’s commitment to openness and the rule of law.