The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has urged President Bola Tinubu to direct the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi to investigate those allegedly responsible for obstructing the publication of the forensic audit report on the Niger Delta Development Commission.
According to SERAP, this report, which covered the period between 2000 and 2019, was commissioned under former President Muhammadu Buhari and submitted to his administration in September 2021.
It was said that despite public interest and repeated demands, the audit findings remain unpublished.
In a letter dated July 5, 2025, and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP called on Tinubu to also instruct relevant anti-corruption agencies to identify and prosecute those who allegedly blocked the release of the report.
The group said, “While the audit report may make uncomfortable reading for the indicted officials and politicians, your government has a constitutional responsibility to publish it and act upon its recommendations.”
It described the continued failure to release the report as a deliberate attempt to obstruct justice and deny the people of the Niger Delta accountability for alleged corruption and abandoned projects.
The group said,”The forensic audit report of the NDDC can no longer be left to gather dust.
“The continued failure to publish the audit report undermines public trust and confidence, particularly of victims of corruption in the Niger Delta who have waited far too long for justice and accountability.”
SERAP warned that if the Tinubu administration fails to act within seven days of receiving the letter, it would take appropriate legal actions before the ECOWAS Court of Justice to compel the government to comply.
According to the group, the audit allegedly reveals the embezzlement of over N6tn and over 13,000 abandoned projects across the Niger Delta region.
It also claimed that some high-ranking government officials and politicians obstructed the report’s release to shield themselves from prosecution.
The organisation blamed the Buhari administration for failing to act on the report after receiving it.
0 Comments