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Group drags NDDC to court over alleged planned diversion of N200bn

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A group, the Niger Delta advocacy group, Alliance for Growth and Development, has slammed a lawsuit against the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) over what it claimed was an alleged plan to divert N200 billion through payment of an alleged scam on distilling contracts in Rivers State.

The group in the suit jointly filed by Comrade Kegan Weli and Comrade Ameh Tobin at the Rivers State High Court and tagged No. PHC /CS/2023 is among others, seeking a declaration that the process of initiating, awarding and supervision of the so-called distilling contracts by the board is a public scam.

The claimants argued that the contracts were corrupt acts intended to deny the people of Rivers State in particular and the Niger Delta in general of substantial funds meant for the development of the region.

The claimants also alleged misuse of funds by the board touching on the welfare and wellbeing of the people of the Niger Delta and that the proposed payments on fake or phony projects/contracts was the height of corruption.

The group claimed that the new NDDC Board had prepared vouchers and was ready to make payments for desilting that runs to over N200 Billion.

READ ALSO:NDDC chair, Onochie, accuses past boards of squandering money in Abuja, London, Dubai

It thus, prayed the court to uphold the earlier judgment which ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) “to immediately remit, return and/or account for all the monies collected or received on behalf of the NDDC from all the major oil and gas companies operating in the Niger Delta area within the last six (6) months and to return same forthwith into the account of the Niger Delta Development Commission.

“This group had in an action in 2022 against the EFCC in suit no. PHC/2048/CS/2022 asked for several reliefs against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) wherein it alleged that the EFCC was interfering with and diverting the statutory contributions of Oil Multinationals meant for the Development of the Niger Delta region.

“In a judgment dated 2nd November, 2022, Hon. Justice L. Ngbor-Abina of the Port Harcourt High Court entered judgment against EFCC and for the protection of the funds of the Defendant meant for the development of the Niger Delta pursuant to Section 14(2) of the NDDC Act.

“The Court in its judgment Declared that the act of directing all the multi-national oil and gas companies to pay the statutory levy or levies or sums due to the Niger Delta Development Commission to the Defendant without any valid Court Order with a view to starving the Niger Delta Development Commission of funds with which to carry out its mandatory obligations in the Niger Delta Area is barbaric, inhuman, unjustifiable, null and void ab initio.”

The claimants sought to rely on the said judgment at the hearing of this suit.

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