The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, a Nigerian-based civil society organisation focused on human rights and public sector accountability, has instituted a legal action against state governors across the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over their alleged refusal to publicly disclose how billions of naira collected as security votes have been spent since Tuesday, 29 May 2023.
The suit was filed in the context of persistent insecurity across several regions of the country, including the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja, despite the yearly allocation of substantial public funds tagged as security votes. Security vote spending is not openly audited or subjected to legislative oversight, and public concerns have grown amid repeated incidents of mass killings in Benue State in North Central Nigeria, as well as kidnappings and violent attacks in different parts of the country.
In a public statement issued in Abuja, Nigeria’s political capital, and signed by Deputy Director of the organisation, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP confirmed that the action was motivated by the need to protect citizens from deepening insecurity and hunger driven by conflict and lawlessness.
The lawsuit, filed last Friday at the Federal High Court in Abuja and marked FHC/ABJ/CS/95/2026, seeks an order mandating all state governors and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory to make public detailed breakdowns of security vote allocations collected since Tuesday, 29 May 2023, and provide a full account of how such funds have been expended.
Okay News reports that SERAP is also urging the court to compel the office holders to present detailed utilisation and status reports on projects purportedly executed under security vote allocations and to reveal existing plans to improve security infrastructure across the states and the Federal Capital Territory.
According to SERAP, more than ₦400,000,000,000 is earmarked annually as security votes nationwide. The group stated that at least ten governors collectively set aside approximately ₦140,000,000,000 for security vote allocations in their respective 2026 state budgets alone, further heightening concerns about transparency and accountability.
SERAP argued that citizens have a constitutional right to know how public finances meant for safeguarding lives and property are deployed. “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.
The group warned that worsening insecurity is having a devastating impact on vulnerable households, particularly the poor and elderly, while deepening food scarcity and limiting access to basic services. “The escalating insecurity in several states and the FCT is taking a devastating toll on socially and economically vulnerable Nigerians,” it stated.
SERAP accused many state governors and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory of failing to effectively discharge their constitutional responsibility to protect citizens, arguing that democratic governance requires openness rather than secrecy. “The framers of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] never contemplated opaque spending of public funds as security votes,” it said, insisting that public accountability strengthens democratic institutions.
The suit also referenced a landmark judgment of Nigeria’s Supreme Court affirming that the Freedom of Information Act applies to all federating units and public institutions, including state governments and ministries, thereby removing the legal basis for refusal to disclose public records related to security votes. “With the landmark judgment, the Supreme Court has made clear that state governors can no longer hide under their unfounded claim that the Freedom of Information Act does not apply to them,” the organisation noted.
The group further argued that the failure to disclose such expenditures violates the public trust and increases the risk of corruption, stating: “There is a significant risk of embezzlement, misappropriation or diversion of public funds collected by the states and FCT as security votes.”
SERAP cited a recent assessment by the World Bank classifying Nigeria as an “economy in fragile and conflict-affected situations” alongside countries such as Afghanistan, Libya, Sudan, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Burkina Faso and Mali. The World Bank linked rising insecurity to extreme poverty, hunger and weak governance in Nigeria. According to the Bank, “the outlook for poverty in Nigeria is sobering. Millions of people are currently experiencing acute food insecurity. Severe gaps in education and health undermine human development in the country.”
No date has been assigned yet for the hearing of the matter.
