The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, to immediately enforce a court judgment directing him and President Bola Tinubu to publish the names of individuals indicted in the alleged misappropriation of about ₦6 trillion linked to abandoned projects of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The judgment, delivered on Monday, November 10, by Justice Gladys Olotu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, followed a Freedom of Information (FOI) suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1360/2021, filed by SERAP.
Justice Olotu also ordered the AGF and the President to make public the NDDC forensic audit report submitted to the Federal Government on September 2, 2021, which covers the commission’s activities between 2000 and 2019, including 13,777 reportedly abandoned projects.
In a letter dated December 13, 2025, and signed by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation expressed concern over what it described as the government’s continued failure to acknowledge and enforce the judgment.
SERAP said the refusal to comply undermines Nigeria’s legal and judicial processes and constitutes a violation of the rule of law.
Citing Section 287(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the group noted that decisions of Nigerian courts are binding on all authorities and persons across the federation, without exception.
According to SERAP, the ongoing non-compliance amounts to a fundamental breach of the Constitution and exposes responsible officials to possible contempt proceedings, including personal liability.
The organisation stressed that enforcing the judgment would reinforce constitutional supremacy, uphold Nigeria’s international obligations, and demonstrate respect for the rule of law.
SERAP further reminded Fagbemi of his role as the Chief Law Officer of the Federation, with a duty to advise the government to act in line with judicial decisions, protect public interest, and ensure obedience to court orders.
“Justice Olotu’s judgment is final, binding, and immediately enforceable. It is not advisory,” SERAP stated, adding that continued disobedience fuels corruption and impunity within ministries, departments, and agencies.
The group also warned that failure to enforce the judgment contradicts Nigeria’s international human rights commitments and erodes public confidence in the justice system.
SERAP argued that immediate compliance would signal the Tinubu administration’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and ending years of alleged corruption in the management of public funds, particularly in the Niger Delta.
Quoting the Supreme Court’s decision in Governor of Lagos State v. Ojukwu (1986), SERAP recalled that the rule of law requires the government to be subject to the law, warning that disobedience of court orders “invites anarchy.”
The organisation gave the AGF a seven-day ultimatum to act, stating that failure to do so would compel SERAP to initiate contempt proceedings to enforce the judgment.
Justice Olotu had ruled that the NDDC forensic audit report and the names of those indicted qualify as public records under Section 31 of the Freedom of Information Act and are not exempt from disclosure, as they relate to the management and use of public funds.
