Justice Nkeonye Maha of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday, ordered the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Betta Edu, to release details of how the sum of N535.8 million was expended on feeding of school children during COVID-19 lockdown.
The judge gave the order while ruling on a suit filed by the Incorporated Trustees of Kingdom Human Rights Foundation International.
The group filed the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1162/2020 following the alleged refusal of the former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Umar-Farouq, and her ministry to respond to the request.
The group alleged that independent investigation and information revealed that the so-called modified and implemented school feeding programme during the COVID-19 lockdown was a “scam, cover-up and well-articulated fiction to embezzle public funds.”
It said the development is contrary to the statement made by Umar-Farouq during the taskforce briefing on COVID-19 on August 3, 2020.
The judge directed Edu and the ministry to furnish the civil society group with parts of the information sought in line with Section 25(1) of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, 2011.
She held that the minister’s failure to respond to the group’s letter dated August 6, 2020 or give reason for the refusal to respond to the request as prescribed under the FOI Act contravened the provisions of Section 4(a) and (b) of the act.
Maha said: “In view of all the matters before me and flowing from the objectives of the FOI Act 2011, the court hereby orders the 1st and 2nd defendants, in line with Section 25(1) of the FOI Act, to furnish the plaintiff with the information sought in Reliefs 3(a), (b), (c), (d).”
The judge also ordered the minister to comply with the orders of the court within 21 days upon receipt of the orders.
She, however, refused to grant “Reliefs 3(e), (f) and (g) of the plaintiff.”
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