The Acting Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Folashodun Shonubi, and a Deputy Governor of the top bank, Edward Adamu, have been sued by a civil organization, the Network Against Corruption and Trafficking Foundation (NACAT), for allegedly failing to disclose their assets to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB).
The Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau has also been named as a defendant in the lawsuit brought by the group’s legal representative, Festus Keyamo Chambers.
The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, 2011, Sections 1(1) and (2), were used as the basis for the applicant’s lawsuit.
In particular, the plaintiffs claim that Shonubi failed to disclose his ownership of the following corporations: Ehlkuhile Investment Ltd.- RC857442; Iscopeng Ltd.- RC1431044; Kilima Technologies Ltd.- RC1218250; Kirby’s Place Resources Ltd.- RC1215845; The Pekaboo Company Ltd.- RC1395011; and Intameks Ltd.- RC13086.
The petitioner claims that Adamu also neglected to disclose his ownership stakes in the following corporations: Pinnacle Solutions Network Ltd. (RC698688); Elad Global Resources Limited. (RC933366); and Global World Frontier Services Nig. Ltd. (RC772500).
The operational manager of NACAT, one Stanley Ugagbe, testified in an affidavit in support of the originating action that the respondents had adamantly refused to provide the papers to them.
Intameks Ltd., RC13086; Kirby’s Place Resources Ltd., RC1215845; The Pekaboo Company Ltd., RC1395011; Ehlkuhile Investment Ltd., RC857442; Iscopeng Ltd., RC1431044; and Kilima Technologies Ltd., RC1218250 are listed as having the 2nd respondent (ag, CBN Gov) on their board of directors list.
The third respondent is reportedly named as a Director in the following companies, according to the deponent, including Pinnacle Solutions Network Ltd. (RC698688), Elad Global Resources Limited. (RC933366), and Global World Frontier Services Nig. Ltd. (RC772500).
The second and third respondents, who are taking over as acting governor and deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, respectively, have legal obligations to disclose in their asset declaration forms the interests they have in the aforementioned companies as public officers, according to Ugagbe.
“That the Applicant has a right under the Freedom of Information Act, (FoI) 2011, to access the Assets and Liabilities Declaration Forms of the 2nd and 3rd respondents, in the records of the 1st respondent, with respect to declaration of the 2nd and 3rd Respondents’ interests in the said companies.
“That the applicant has made demand under the Freedom of Information Act, 2011 to the Respondents to produce their Assets and Liabilities Declaration Forms, where the 2nd and 3rd Respondents declared their interests in the said companies, but that the respondents failed, refused, and neglected to produce the said documents.
The applicant submitted that it needed the intervention of the court to compel the 1st and 2nd respondents to grant the request of the applicant, in accordance with Section 1 (3) of the Freedom of Information Act.
The applicants predicated their prayers on the ground that they had written letters dated July 3, 2023, and August 14, 2023, requesting the respondents to produce the said documents, but they refused.
“The respondents have failed, refused and neglected to produce the said documents requested from them, contrary to section 4 (a) of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011” the counsel stated.
As public officers, the counsel submitted that the 2nd and 3rd respondents have statutory obligations to declare in their Asset Declaration Forms, the interests they have in the companies while assuming their respective offices as Acting Governor and Deputy Governor of the CBN.
NACAT claimed to be a non-governmental organisation, a pro-democracy civil society organisation whose objectives include contributing to the global war against corruption, financial crimes, terrorism and economic sabotage.
Meanwhile, no date has yet been fixed for hearing of the suit.