The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on President Bola Tinubu to instruct the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, to investigate individuals allegedly responsible for obstructing the publication of the forensic audit report on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The audit report, which covers the period from 2000 to 2019, was commissioned under former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration and submitted in September 2021.
Despite public interest and repeated demands, the report has yet to be made public.
In a letter dated July 5, 2025, and signed by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the group urged Tinubu to also direct relevant anti-corruption agencies to identify and prosecute those who allegedly prevented the report’s release.
“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,” SERAP stated.
The organisation described the ongoing delay as a deliberate obstruction of justice and a denial of accountability for the people of the Niger Delta, many of whom have suffered from corruption and numerous abandoned projects.
“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 does not act within seven days of receiving the letter, it will pursue legal action at the ECOWAS Court of Justice to compel the government to comply.
According to the group, the report alleges the embezzlement of over N6 trillion and documents more than 13,000 abandoned projects across the Niger Delta.
It further claims that some high-ranking government officials and politicians obstructed the report’s release to shield themselves from prosecution.
The organisation also blamed the Buhari administration for failing to act on the report after receiving it.
The letter partly reads, “The fact that the forensic audit undertaken at public expense has been gathering dust on an official’s desk for several years shows the failure of the Buhari administration to deliver justice for the people of the Niger Delta.
“The failure to publish the report and fully implement its recommendations would seem to suggest that the forensic audit was not commissioned to provide transparency and accountability, but merely as a ruse to defer and avoid it.
“Victims of grand corruption in the Niger Delta would lose faith in public investigations of corruption if the audit report is not immediately published and its recommendations acted upon.
“Victims would like to see the recommendations and what progress has been made to make the NDDC fit for purpose.”
SERAP further alleged that contracts within the commission were largely awarded to members of the National Assembly, while a former minister’s wife reportedly collected N48 billion within 12 months for a women’s training scheme.
“Obstructing the release of the forensic audit report or hiding it is a grave and wilful attempt to obstruct, prevent and pervert the course of justice.
“Delaying the implementation of its recommendations has enabled suspected perpetrators to evade justice and denied access to justice for victims.”
The group added that despite Nigeria’s vast oil wealth, many Niger Delta residents have seen little benefit due to widespread corruption and mismanagement within the NDDC.
“The missing N6 trillion and over 13,000 abandoned projects in the Niger Delta have continued to have a negative impact on the human rights of Nigerians, undermining their access to basic public goods and services, such as education, healthcare, and regular and uninterrupted electricity supply,” the letter stated.
SERAP also noted that about N1.4 billion was reportedly paid to auditors for the exercise and raised concerns about the sincerity of the government’s anti-corruption agenda given the report remains hidden.
Citing sections of the Nigerian Constitution and the UN Convention against Corruption, the organisation argued the government is obligated to investigate and punish any interference with justice and prosecute those implicated in the report.
“Bringing those suspected to be responsible for the grand corruption documented in the NDDC forensic report and recovering any proceeds of corruption would advance the right of Nigerians to restitution, compensation, and guarantee of non-repetition,” SERAP concluded.
