SERAP Sues Tinubu Government over Secrecy Surrounding NDDC Forensic Audit Report

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), alongside four concerned Nigerians, has filed a lawsuit against the administration of President Bola Tinubu for failing to make public the forensic audit report on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). The audit, ordered in 2019 by former President Muhammadu Buhari, reportedly exposes the mismanagement and disappearance of approximately N6 trillion from the commission between 2001 and 2019.

The lawsuit, registered as suit number ECW/CCJ/APP/35/25 at the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice in Abuja, argues that withholding the report constitutes a violation of Nigeria’s international human rights obligations. The plaintiffs include Prince Taiwo Aiyedatiwa, Chief Jude Igbogifurotogu Pulemote, Ben Omietimi Tariye, and Princess Elizabeth Egbe.

The legal action seeks a court order compelling the federal government to publish the forensic audit report and implement measures to improve transparency and accountability in the handling of NDDC funds.

The plaintiffs assert that the government’s refusal to disclose the report perpetuates impunity and denies Nigerians the right to know the truth about widespread corruption within the commission. They emphasized that access to the audit report is critical to public participation, democratic accountability, and the fight against corruption.

Highlighting the importance of transparency, the plaintiffs argue that the right to access public information is enshrined in Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights—both ratified by Nigeria. They also claim that the government has offered no legal justification for keeping the report secret.

The suit, filed by lawyers Kolawole Oluwadare, Kehinde Oyewumi, and Andrew Nwankwo, insists that the NDDC audit report falls under the scope of public interest and should not be withheld under the guise of national security, as it pertains to corruption, accountability, and human rights.

SERAP and the co-plaintiffs maintain that the government bears the burden of proving any limitations to access, which must comply with strict international legal standards. They conclude that keeping the report secret undermines democratic governance and violates the public’s right to legal remedy and full transparency.

No date has yet been scheduled for the hearing.