Court to Hear FOI Suit on Constituency Projects in Kano State
A dispute concerning public access to information on constituency projects will be heard by a Kano State High Court on Monday, April 27, 2026. Umar Ibrahim Umar, a human rights and anti-corruption campaigner, brought the lawsuit after the State Commissioner for Works and Housing reportedly neglected to reply to his Freedom of Information (FOI) request.
Umar is requesting that the court order the government to provide information about constituency projects. He claimed that this would increase openness and make it possible for citizens, media, and civil society organisations to monitor the use of public funds.
When the commissioner allegedly demanded N100 million as a processing charge prior to disclosing the data, the matter became even more contentious.
Umar confirmed the date and location of the hearing in a statement.
“The matter will be heard at the Kano State High Court, Audu Bako Secretariat, where all necessary court processes have already been duly served on the Commissioner,” he stated. He clarified that the problem started on October 10, 2025, when he formally requested information about constituency projects in Kano State.
Additionally, Umar urged the public and media to focus on the case.
“The public, media, and organisations from civil society are urged to monitor processes carefully, as the matter involves critical questions about access to information from the public, transparency, and the rule of law,” he stated.
The activist has already filed a lawsuit against the commissioner, Engineer Marwan Ahmed, claiming that the N100 million demand violates the FOI Act, is unlawful, and is unreasonable.
