Court Strikes Out Suit Seeking Release of NDDC Forensic Audit Report

A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has struck out a suit filed by Paul Arochukwu Ogbonna and another applicant against the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), seeking the release of the long-awaited forensic audit report of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

The suit,with a suit number CS/236/2022, was instituted in 2022 under the aegis of Social Action, following the refusal of the then Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs to provide the group with access to the audit report.

The plaintiffs had approached the court to compel the ministry—formerly overseen by Godswill Akpabio—to make the document public.

However, subsequent developments altered the trajectory of the case. With the dissolution of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs by President Bola Tinubu upon assuming office, the plaintiffs amended their processes to join the AGF as the appropriate legal representative of the Federal Government.

Delivering judgment, Justice Turaki Mohammed struck out the suit, ruling that it was incompetent as it was originally filed against a non-existent government agency.

Despite the absence of legal representation for the AGF during proceedings, counsel to the plaintiffs, Victor Nweke, addressed journalists after the ruling, expressing dissatisfaction with the court’s decision.

He maintained that the case had been pursued in the public interest and disclosed that his clients are considering further legal steps to ensure access to the audit report.

Speaking in the same vein, Ogbonna, who heads Social Action’s legal team in Rivers State, described the judgment as a setback to transparency efforts.

He emphasized that the suit forms part of a broader anti-corruption campaign and insisted that Nigerians have a right to know how funds allocated to the NDDC were utilized.

The NDDC forensic audit report has remained a subject of national interest, amid calls from civil society groups for its full disclosure, citing accountability and transparency in the management of resources in the Niger Delta region.