Justice Delayed could be Justice Denied

Gabriel Kolawole, presiding judge of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, Friday postponed the ruling of Nigeria's former military dictator Gen Ibrahim Babangida's $12.4b gulf war oil theft to November 29.

The judge apologized for the adjournment and many Nigerians fear justice delayed will be justice denied.

A group, the Socio-Economic and Accountability Project (SERAP), and five others sued the Attorney- General of the Federation (AGF) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) over the much publicised $12.4 billion oil windfall, which the country recorded between 1988 and 1992, while former military dictator, Ibrahim Babangida was in power.

The plaintiffs also asked the court to make an order compelling the CBN and the AGF to publish detailed accounts relating to the spending of the sum of money between 1988 and 1994. They also sought for an order of the court compelling the respondents to diligently and effectively bring to justice anyone suspected of corruption and mismanagement of the sum; as well as the release the official copy of a probe into the spendings by a committee set up by the government and headed by Pius Okigbo.

The Federal Government argued, among others, that it could not find an official copy of the probe report and that “only the AGF as a defender of public interest has the right to seek information on the spending of the $12.4 billion oil windfall.”