ADEBUKUNOLA ADEOTI BANJOKO, JCA (Delivering the Leading Judgment): This Appeal is against the Judgment delivered by Honorable Justice JK OMOTOSHO of the Federal High Court, Abuja on the 19th Day of January, 2023 in Suit No FHC/ ABJ/CS/1262/2020, contained on Pages 66-86 of the Record of Appeal.
The essential facts of this case are that on the 7th of September 2020, the Appellant/Applicant, a Non-Governmental Organisation and Coalition of Civil Society Groups focused on Anti-Corruption wrote to the Respondent requesting Records of Payments made to Oladipo Okpeseyi SAN and Temitope Isaac Adebayo, Nigerian Lawyers engaged by the Federal Government through the Ministry of Justice under the Attorney General of the Federation, for the recovery of the Abacha loot. The Respondent, in a reply dated 14 September 2020, denied the request. Following this denial, the Appellant initiated Judicial Review Proceedings and sought the Reliefs outlined in their Brief.
The Appellant claimed that the Respond…