SERAP in court over refusal of FG to name suspected looters...

Rights advocacy group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), has urged a Federal High Court in Lagos to compel the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, to publish the names of suspected looters who had returned stolen funds.
The Federal Government had, through the Ministry of Information and Culture, recently disclosed that it had recovered cash sums of N78,325,354,631.82, $185,119,584.61, £3,508,355.46 and €11, 250, among others, between May 29, 2015 and May 25, 2016.
SERAP said it resorted to suing Mohammed following the minister’s failure to oblige its request to publish the names of the looters and the circumstances under which they returned the loot.
Joined as a defendant in the suit is the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN).
The group said it was entitled to be supplied with the information by virtue of Section 4(a) of the Freedom of Information Act 2011.
It claimed that by releasing the names of the looters, the Federal Government had nothing to lose.
It is urging the court to determine whether by virtue of Section 4(a) of the Freedom of Information Act 2011, Mohammed and Malami were not under an obligation to publish the looters’ names as it had requested.
SERAP said publishing the looters’ names would provide an insight into the debate on the ongoing ant-corruption fight and how looters had been evading punishment.
The court had yet to fix a date for the hearing of the suit.