The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against several state governors and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over alleged failure to account for billions of naira spent as security votes since May 29, 2023.
SERAP said the legal action was prompted by persistent insecurity across multiple states and the FCT, despite large public funds allocated annually for security. The organisation highlighted reports of mass killings in Benue State and other violent incidents nationwide as part of the rationale for the suit.
The announcement was made in a statement released on Sunday by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, and shared with PUNCH Online.
Filed last Friday at the Federal High Court in Abuja, the suit (FHC/ABJ/CS/95/2026) seeks a court order compelling the governors and the FCT minister to publicly disclose details of how security votes collected since May 29, 2023, have been spent.
SERAP is also requesting that the officials provide detailed reports on the allocation, use, progress, and completion of projects funded through security votes, as well as plans to enhance security infrastructure in their jurisdictions.
According to the organisation, over N400 billion is budgeted annually as security votes nationwide, with at least ten governors reportedly earmarking about N140 billion for the 2026 fiscal year alone.
“Nigerians have the right to know how public funds, including security votes meant to protect lives and property, are being utilised by the governors and the FCT minister,” SERAP said.
The group warned that escalating insecurity is disproportionately affecting vulnerable Nigerians, aggravating poverty, hunger, and human rights abuses. “Many governors and the FCT minister have failed to effectively discharge their constitutional duty to safeguard lives and property,” it added.
SERAP emphasised that the Nigerian Constitution does not allow for secretive spending of public funds, and stressed that transparency is essential for democratic governance. “The framers of the 1999 Constitution [as amended] never intended security votes to be spent opaquely. Citizens’ right to know promotes accountability and strengthens democracy,” the organisation stated.
The suit, filed on SERAP’s behalf by lawyers Oluwakemi Agunbiade, Andrew Nwankwo, and Valentina Adegoke, warned that secrecy around security votes increases the risk of embezzlement and diversion of public funds. “Years of opaque practices have undermined public oversight, allowing officials to evade scrutiny over their handling of security responsibilities,” SERAP said.
The organisation cited a Supreme Court judgment affirming that the Freedom of Information Act applies to all public records, including those on security votes. “State governors can no longer claim that the Act does not apply to them,” SERAP noted, while acknowledging that certain operational details may be withheld for national security reasons.
“The failure of governors and the FCT minister to account for security vote spending constitutes a grave violation of public trust. Treating security votes as personal entitlement contradicts constitutional and international standards,” the group added.
SERAP also referenced a recent World Bank classification of Nigeria as an economy in fragile and conflict-affected situations (FCS), linking insecurity to extreme poverty, food insecurity, and weak state capacity. “The Bank noted that millions of Nigerians face acute food insecurity, while gaps in education and health continue to undermine human development,” the statement said.
No date has yet been set for the hearing of the suit.
