Justice Mohammed Yunusa of a Federal High Court, Lagos on Tuesday ordered First Bank of Nigeria Plc., to disclose details of a loan facility it granted to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) over alleged purchase of some bullet proof cars by former minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah.
The court also gave an order of mandamus compelling First Bank to grant access to or make available to Enough Is Enough (EIE) Nigeria, the information it requested, in a letter dated Oct. 30, 2013.
The judge issued the order while delivering judgment in a suit instituted by EIE Nigeria against the bank over its refusal to disclose the information to the organisation.
EIE Nigeria had written an application under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act on Oct. 30, 2013, requesting the disclosure of such information.
The suit was filed on behalf of EIE on Jan. 9, 2014 by Mr Ayodeji Acquah of Media Rights Agenda’s Network of Freedom of Information lawyers.
In that suit, EIE is praying the court for the declaration that the failure and/or refusal of the First Bank to grant access to or make available to EIE the information it requested in its letter amounts to wrongful denial of access to information under Section 7(5) of the FOI Act.
It is also praying for a declaration that the failure and/or refusal by the First Bank to give EIE a written notice that access to all or part of the information requested would not be granted and stating reasons for the denial and the section of the FOI Act upon which the bank relied upon in denying EIE access such information, amounts to a flagrant violation of Section 4(b), 7(1), (2), and (3) of the FOI Act and is therefore wrongful.
However, EIE had obtained a similar order in March 2015, where Coscharis Motors Ltd., was directed to disclose details of the transaction.
