Crime/Social Justice
Federal high court orders NDDC to publish forensic audit report within 90 days
Written By: Udo Inobeme
17 Dec 2025 02:03 AM
Yenagoa, Bayelsa – A Federal High Court in Yenagoa has ruled that the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) must publish its forensic audit report and a detailed account of funds received and expended in the last several years, all within 90 days, to promote transparency and accountability.
Justice Isa Dashen delivered the judgment on October 24, 2025, in suit FHC/YNG/CS/135/2021, with the certified true copy becoming available recently.
The court ordered the publication of the forensic audit covering operations from the interim management period under Prof. Nelson Brambaifa to the present.
The case was filed in April 2022 by 11 plaintiffs from the nine Niger Delta states, including Odighon Adienbo (representing the Wailing Women of the Niger Delta), the Integrity Friends for Truth and Peace Initiative, and others.
They sued the Attorney General of the Federation, invoking the Freedom of Information Act and arguing for public access to the report.
In addition to the publication order, Justice Dashen issued a perpetual injunction barring the Federal Government from appointing sole administrators or interim managements to run the NDDC, declaring such arrangements illegal under the NDDC Act.
The court also mandated that the commission remain an independent body, not merged with any ministry without National Assembly amendment.
The government must comply within 90 days, with N200,000 in costs awarded to the plaintiffs.
The forensic audit stems from a 2019 directive by former President Muhammadu Buhari amid allegations of mismanagement and diversion of over N6 trillion in NDDC funds from 2001 to 2019.
The report, submitted to the government in 2021, has remained unpublished despite reportedly uncovering approximately 13,000 abandoned projects across the region.
The Niger Delta, Nigeria's oil-producing heartland, has long faced environmental degradation from oil activities and stalled development projects despite substantial funding.
This ruling adds pressure for accountability, following a separate Federal High Court order in Abuja last month that also sought publication of the audit report and identification of those implicated in alleged mismanagement.
The decision is seen as a victory for civil society groups pushing for better governance in the resource-rich but underdeveloped Niger Delta.
Justice Isa Dashen delivered the judgment on October 24, 2025, in suit FHC/YNG/CS/135/2021, with the certified true copy becoming available recently.
The court ordered the publication of the forensic audit covering operations from the interim management period under Prof. Nelson Brambaifa to the present.
The case was filed in April 2022 by 11 plaintiffs from the nine Niger Delta states, including Odighon Adienbo (representing the Wailing Women of the Niger Delta), the Integrity Friends for Truth and Peace Initiative, and others.
They sued the Attorney General of the Federation, invoking the Freedom of Information Act and arguing for public access to the report.
In addition to the publication order, Justice Dashen issued a perpetual injunction barring the Federal Government from appointing sole administrators or interim managements to run the NDDC, declaring such arrangements illegal under the NDDC Act.
The court also mandated that the commission remain an independent body, not merged with any ministry without National Assembly amendment.
The government must comply within 90 days, with N200,000 in costs awarded to the plaintiffs.
The forensic audit stems from a 2019 directive by former President Muhammadu Buhari amid allegations of mismanagement and diversion of over N6 trillion in NDDC funds from 2001 to 2019.
The report, submitted to the government in 2021, has remained unpublished despite reportedly uncovering approximately 13,000 abandoned projects across the region.
The Niger Delta, Nigeria's oil-producing heartland, has long faced environmental degradation from oil activities and stalled development projects despite substantial funding.
This ruling adds pressure for accountability, following a separate Federal High Court order in Abuja last month that also sought publication of the audit report and identification of those implicated in alleged mismanagement.
The decision is seen as a victory for civil society groups pushing for better governance in the resource-rich but underdeveloped Niger Delta.
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