The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against the governors of Nigeria’s 36 states and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Nyesom Wike, over their alleged failure to account for billions of naira allocated as security votes since May 29, 2023.
The suit, filed last Friday at the Federal High Court in Abuja, follows renewed concerns over worsening insecurity across several states and the FCT, despite reports that more than ₦400 billion is allocated annually as security votes. SERAP disclosed that at least ten state governors budgeted about ₦140 billion for security votes in their 2026 budgets.
SERAP is asking the court to compel the governors and the FCT minister to publicly disclose detailed records of how security votes have been spent, including allocation breakdowns, implementation status, completion reports, and plans for improving security infrastructure.
The organisation noted that Nigerians have a right to know how public funds earmarked for the protection of lives and property are utilised, especially in the face of persistent violence, mass killings, and rising insecurity in several parts of the country.
According to SERAP, the continued secrecy surrounding security vote expenditures poses a significant risk of embezzlement, misappropriation, and diversion of public funds. The group argued that opaque spending contradicts the intent of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and undermines public trust.
SERAP further stated that despite the huge sums allocated yearly, many governors and the FCT minister have failed to fulfil their constitutional responsibility under Section 14(2)(b) to guarantee the security and welfare of the people.
The suit was filed by SERAP’s legal team comprising Oluwakemi Agunbiade, Andrew Nwankwo, and Valentina Adegoke. The organisation stressed that compelling public officials to account for security vote spending would promote transparency, strengthen oversight, and encourage an honest national conversation on addressing Nigeria’s security challenges.
As of the time of filing this report, no hearing date has been fixed for the case.
