The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has dragged the Federal Government to the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice over its failure to publish the forensic audit report of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), which allegedly uncovered the mismanagement of over N6 trillion between 2001 and 2019.
The lawsuit, filed by SERAP alongside four concerned Nigerians — Prince Taiwo Aiyedatiwa, Chief Jude Igbogifurotogu Pulemote, Ben Omietimi Tariye, and Princess Elizabeth Egbe — is marked ECW/CCJ/APP/35/25. The plaintiffs are seeking a court declaration that withholding the report breaches Nigeria’s obligations under international human rights treaties, particularly the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
The audit was ordered in 2019 by then-President Muhammadu Buhari after widespread allegations of corruption in the NDDC. The report, submitted to the government in 2021, reportedly indicted several high-profile politicians and officials.
Recently, FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, alleged that N48 billion was paid to the wife of a former minister “to train Niger Delta women,” further fueling public demands for transparency.
In a statement issued by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation requested the court to:
Compel the Nigerian government to publish the full NDDC forensic audit report.
Adopt transparency measures to close accountability gaps in NDDC’s spending.
Guarantee public access to information on how funds allocated to the NDDC were used.
SERAP argued that the failure to release the report promotes impunity and undermines citizens’ right to know how public funds are managed.
The suit, filed by lawyers Kolawole Oluwadare, Kehinde Oyewumi, and Andrew Nwankwo, stressed that public access to information is a fundamental right that enhances democratic participation and enables citizens to hold leaders accountable.
The plaintiffs cited Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Article 19 of the ICCPR, which guarantee freedom of expression and access to public information.
According to the suit:
Transparency is the rule, secrecy the exception.
The government must demonstrate that any restriction on publishing the report is lawful, necessary, and proportionate under international human rights law.
Denying access to the report violates citizens’ right to seek legal remedies, undermines the rule of law, and weakens efforts to fight corruption.
The suit also reiterated that publishing the report is crucial for citizens’ participation in governance and for restoring public trust in institutions managing Niger Delta development funds.
Analysts believe that making the report public could expose massive fraud within the NDDC, pave the way for prosecutions, and help recover stolen funds.
SERAP maintains that transparency in the NDDC is critical because the agency receives billions of naira annually for infrastructure and human capital development in the oil-rich Niger Delta but has consistently been linked to abandoned projects and financial mismanagement.
No date has been fixed for the hearing, but if the ECOWAS Court rules in favour of SERAP, the Federal Government may be compelled to release the report and take further action against indicted individuals.
This lawsuit adds to the growing calls by civil society groups for accountability in Nigeria’s public finance management, especially in interventionist agencies like the NDDC.