Supreme Court dismisses states’ suit over N1.8trn recovered loot
By Kunle Sanni
The Supreme Court has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Nigeria’s 36 state governments and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) challenging the federal government’s handling of over N1.8 trillion in recovered looted funds.
In a unanimous decision on Friday, a seven-member panel of the apex court ruled that it lacked jurisdiction to entertain the suit, which was filed in 2021.
Justice Mohammed Idris, who delivered the lead judgment prepared by Justice Chidiebere Uwa, said the matter ought to have been filed at the Federal High Court, not the Supreme Court.
The suit, marked SC/CV/395/2021, alleged that between 2015 and 2021, the federal government recovered over N1.8 trillion in cash and non-cash assets, including 167 properties, 450 vehicles, 300 trucks, cargoes, and about 20 million barrels of crude oil valued at over N450 billion.
The states accused the federal government of violating constitutional provisions by not remitting the recovered assets into the Federation Account, instead channeling the funds into accounts like the Consolidated Revenue Fund and other unauthorized channels.
Citing sections 162(1), 162(10), and 80 of the 1999 Constitution, as well as the Finance (Control and Management) Act of 1958, the plaintiffs argued that all recovered funds must be paid into the Federation Account and shared among all levels of government.
The suit also named several federal agencies—including the EFCC, ICPC, the Nigerian Police Force, and the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation—as entities involved in the recovery of looted assets since 2015.
The plaintiffs had sought a declaration that all proceeds from recovered assets should be paid into the Federation Account and requested a court order compelling the federal government to remit the funds. However, the court’s ruling ended their legal bid for asset redistribution.
