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Nigerians Await Names of Looters

All ears in Nigeria are open for information about the names of all those from whom billions of looted naira have been recovered since 2015.

The source of this hope is a judgement delivered Wednesday in favour of an NGO, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), against the federal government by a Lagos Federal High Court.

In the judgement read by Justice Shagari, the court agreed with SERAP that the federal government has “a legally binding obligation to tell Nigerians the names of all suspected looters of the public treasury, past and present”.

Later on the same day, after the FEC meeting, the FG through Justice Minister Abubakar Malami agreed with the ruling of the court and promised to carry out the order “as long as it does not amount to violation of the rules of the court”.

The Nigerian government is, however, notorious for doublespeak and may not really publish all the looters’ names as promised. It may be “reminded” of another court ruling.

If, however, it publishes the names of the looters, it would be a new dawn in the anti-corruption fight.

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