Rosemary Nwisi, Port Harcourt
A FEDERAL High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, has struck out a Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill suit filed by members of Ogoni Youth Federation (OYF) against Hydro Carbon Remediation Project (HYPREP) on technical grounds.
OYF had approached the court for judicial redress on the inability of HYPREP to provide them with information on how the initial $10 million the Federal Government earmarked as take-off grants for the project was disbursed.
Delivering the judgment, the presiding judge, Justice Emmanuel Obile, ruled that HYPRED could not be sued because it was not established by an Act of the National Assembly.
The judge held that the plaintiffs filed the suit wrongly, as they did not follow the right judicial process.
Read Also: Court stops proposed sale of Jos Disco’s shares
He added that the proper party to have been sued was the Federal Government, instead of HYPREP.
Justice Obile thus struck out the case.
Reacting to the court verdict, the plaintiffs’ lawyer Epsibari Pygbara said the court had taken its decision on the matter but that the judgment would be reviewed to know the way forward.
OYF President Legborsi Yamaabana said the case had not been closed. He insisted that the organisation would appeal the court’s decision.
Leave a Reply