The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has filed a lawsuit against state governors and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over their alleged failure to account for billions of naira spent as security votes since May 29, 2023.
SERAP said the suit was prompted by persistent insecurity across several states and the FCT, despite huge public funds allocated yearly to security votes, including reports of mass killings in Benue State and other violent incidents nationwide.
Disclosing this in a statement on Sunday, SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, said the suit was filed last Friday at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/95/2026, SERAP is asking the court to compel the governors and the FCT minister to publicly disclose details of how security votes collected since May 29, 2023, have been spent.
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The organisation is also seeking an order directing them to provide detailed reports on the allocation, utilisation, implementation status and completion of projects funded with security votes, as well as any plans to improve security infrastructure in their states and the FCT.
According to SERAP, over N400bn is budgeted annually as security votes across the country, while at least 10 governors reportedly earmarked about N140bn for the same purpose in the 2026 budget year.
In the suit, SERAP argued that Nigerians have a right to know how public funds meant to protect lives and property are being utilised.
“Nigerians ought to know in what manner public funds, including security votes meant to ensure the security of life and property of Nigerians, are spent by the governors and the FCT minister,” the organisation said.
SERAP warned that escalating insecurity was taking a heavy toll on vulnerable Nigerians, worsening poverty, hunger and human rights abuses.
“The escalating insecurity in several states and the FCT is taking a devastating toll on socially and economically vulnerable Nigerians,” it said, adding that many governors and the FCT minister had failed to effectively discharge their constitutional responsibility to protect lives and property.
The rights group argued that the Nigerian Constitution does not support secretive spending of public funds, stressing that democracy demands transparency and accountability.
“The framers of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] never contemplated opaque spending of public funds as security votes,” SERAP said, noting that citizens’ right to know promotes openness and strengthens democratic governance.
The suit, filed on behalf of SERAP by its lawyers Oluwakemi Agunbiade, Andrew Nwankwo and Valentina Adegoke, stated that secrecy around security votes increases the risk of embezzlement and diversion of public funds.
“There is a significant risk of embezzlement, misappropriation or diversion of public funds collected by the states and FCT as security votes,” the organisation argued.
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