The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against the Nigerian government for refusing to release the forensic audit report on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), which reportedly reveals how N6 trillion vanished from the agency between 2001 and 2019.

Filed at the ECOWAS Court of Justice in Abuja, the suit—joined by four citizens: Prince Taiwo Aiyedatiwa, Chief Jude Pulemote, Ben Tariye, and Princess Elizabeth Egbe—accuses the government of violating citizens’ right to access information. The plaintiffs argue that the refusal to publish the audit findings undermines transparency, accountability, and Nigeria’s human rights obligations.

The forensic audit was ordered by former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 to investigate widespread corruption allegations in the NDDC. However, SERAP says the government has kept the report under wraps without justification.

The case also points to recent claims by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, who alleged that a former minister’s wife received N48 billion in NDDC funds within a year for women empowerment in the Niger Delta—a claim that adds to concerns over unchecked financial mismanagement.

The plaintiffs want the court to declare that withholding the report breaches international standards, and to order the government to make the findings public and implement reforms that promote transparency in the commission’s finances.

They insist that access to public information is a human right, and say the secrecy surrounding the audit only helps to shield corrupt practices and deny citizens the opportunity to demand accountability.

The ECOWAS Court has yet to announce a date for the hearing.