Amnesty Boss Dragged to Court Over Hidden Scholarship Beneficiaries ......Lawyer Demands Full List Of Local And Foreign Awardees As FOI Silence Sparks Legal Firestorm



A fiery Freedom of Information lawsuit has landed at the Federal High Court in Akure, putting the Presidential Amnesty Programme and its coordinator, Dr. Dennis Otuaro, under intense pressure to reveal the complete list of scholarship beneficiaries.

Akure based Legal Practitioner, Daisi Onetufo, Esq., has filed Originating Summons No. FHC/AK/CS/119/2026 against Otuaro (in his capacity as Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme), the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Federal Government of Nigeria. The action, grounded in Sections 1, 4, 7 and 20 of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011, seeks to force disclosure of the comprehensive list of both local and foreign scholarship beneficiaries under the programme.

Court documents show that Onetufo formally requested the records on 3 August 2026. Under Section 4 of the FOI Act, the public institution had seven days to either release the information or issue a lawful written refusal with clear reasons. Neither happened.

A final notice dated 31 August 2026 gave the Amnesty Office until Tuesday, 15 September 2026 to comply. That deadline also passed in silence.

The applicant is now asking the court to determine, among other questions:

Whether he is entitled to the full beneficiaries list held by the Presidential Amnesty Programme;

Whether the failure to respond within the statutory period constitutes a deemed refusal;

Whether the office remains under a legal duty to release the information; and

Whether he is entitled to an extension of time under Section 20 of the Act to pursue the suit.

The reliefs sought are sweeping. They include declarations affirming his right to the list, a declaration that the prolonged silence amounts to refusal, an order of mandamus compelling Otuaro to release the comprehensive list of local and foreign scholarship beneficiaries, and orders for certified true copies of all related records, applications and supporting documents not lawfully exempt from disclosure. The court is also being asked to award costs against the respondents.

The summons, taken out on 13 October 2026 by Kunle Lawoye, Esq., of Daisi Onetufo & Co. (Alfred Ayo Chambers), Akure, insists the requested information is specific, identifiable and not covered by any lawful exemption under the FOI Act.

No response has yet been filed by the Amnesty Programme or the other respondents. The case is expected to put the transparency of one of the Niger Delta’s most sensitive federal programmes under the judicial spotlight.

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