By Abdulwahab Abdulah

Six civil society groups have asked a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, to compel the Federal Government to disclose how the $12.4 billion oil windfall between 1988 and 1994 was expended by the then Federal Government.

In the suit filed by their lawyer, Mr Femi Falana, the groups are also asking for an order of mandamus compelling the respondents individually or collectively to publish detailed statement of account relating to the spending of $12.4
billion oil windfall between 1988 and 1994, and to publish in major national newspapers a copy of the statement of account.

Named as respondents in the suit are the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, SAN, and the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.

The applicants are also asking the court to direct the respondents “to diligently and effectively bring to justice anyone suspected of corruption and mismanagement of the $12.4 billion oil windfall between 1988 and 1994, and an order directing the respondents to return to the federation account any money which is the subject matter of corruption.”

They are further asking for an order directing the respondents “to provide adequate reparation, which may take the form of restitution, compensation, satisfaction or guarantees of non-repetition to Nigerians that had been denied
their human rights as a result of the respondents’ failure and/or negligence to ensure transparency and accountability in the spending of $12.4 billion oil windfall.”

The groups are the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP; Women Advocates and Documentation Centre, WARDC; Committee for Defence of Human Rights, CDHR; Access to Justice, AJ; Human and Environmental Development Agenda, HEDA, and Partnership for Justice were represented by Mr Femi Falana.