President Bola Tinubu has been urged to investigate claims that high-ranking government officials and politicians are preventing the publication of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) forensic audit report.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), the group making this appeal, has voiced significant concern.
It highlight that the audit’s findings have not yet been released to the public, and crucial recommendations for accountability and reform within the NDDC remain unaddressed.
The report, which covers the period between 2000 and 2019, was commissioned in 2029 to examine alleged financial misconduct and structural inefficiencies within the NDDC by the Muhammadu Buhari administration and submitted in 2021.
In a statement issued on Sunday, SERAP described the obstruction or suppression of the report as an effort to undermine justice.
“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 for the allegations of corruption in the NDDC,” the organisation said in a letter addressed to President Tinubu.
SERAP further warned that delaying publication of the report has allowed those suspected of wrongdoing to avoid prosecution, and denied affected communities in the Niger Delta access to justice.
“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 noted that the Nigerian government has a constitutional and international obligation to act on the findings of the audit, even if the contents may be politically or personally uncomfortable for those implicated.
“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.
Citing Article 25 of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), SERAP argued that any act interfering with the initiation or outcome of a corruption investigation is a punishable offence under international law.
“The forensic audit report of the NDDC can no longer be left to gather dust,” the organisation said, urging the Tinubu administration to publish the report in full and take steps toward prosecuting those named.
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