The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against President Muhammadu Buhari over his government’s failure to publish details of people from whom N800 billion in looted funds have been recovered, dates of the recovery, and details of projects on which the money have been spent and are being spent.
The suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1064/2020 was filed before the Federal High Court, Abuja on Friday last week.
The group disclosed this in a Sunday statement.
Joined in the suit as respondents are Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN and Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed.
According to the group, President Buhari in paragraph 78 of his speech to mark the occasion of the Democracy Day on June 12, 2020, stated that: “the government has recovered looted funds in excess of N800 billion. These monies are being ploughed into development and infrastructure projects.”
SERAP said it was therefore seeking: “an order for leave to apply for judicial review & order of mandamus to direct & compel President Buhari to publish details of spending of N800bn in looted funds & the specific dates of the recovery.”
The group said it was further seeking: “an order of mandamus to direct and compel President Buhari to instruct appropriate anti-corruption agencies to promptly, thoroughly and transparently investigate the alleged payment of N51bn of public funds into individual private accounts in 2019.”
“There is no reason why the information should not be made widely available to Nigerians, as the Nigerian Constitution of 1999 (as amended) requires the govt. in S 15(5) to abolish all forms of corruption. This means ensuring transparency in the management of public resources,” the group said.
