By Charles Maduka
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 refusal to account for billions of naira spent as security votes since May 29, 2023.
The organisation said the legal action was necessitated by worsening insecurity across many states and the FCT despite huge sums of public funds allocated yearly as security votes, with reports of mass killings in places such as Benue State and other violent attacks across the country.
SERAP disclosed this in a statement announcing the suit, which was signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare. The group expressed concern that insecurity has continued to spread even with the large amounts set aside for security-related spending.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/95/2026 and filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, is seeking an order compelling the governors and the FCT minister to publicly disclose how security votes received since May 29, 2023, have been spent.
The organisation also wants the court to direct them to provide detailed information on the allocation, utilisation and implementation of projects funded through security votes, including the status of such projects and plans aimed at improving security infrastructure in their respective states and the FCT.
SERAP stated that over N400bn is budgeted annually as security votes nationwide, adding that at least 10 governors reportedly set aside about N140bn for security votes in the 2026 budget year alone.
According to the group, Nigerians have a constitutional right to know how public funds meant to protect lives and property are being used. It argued that secrecy surrounding security vote spending undermines accountability and weakens democratic governance.
SERAP warned that rising insecurity is placing a heavy burden on vulnerable Nigerians, worsening poverty, hunger and human rights abuses, while accusing many governors and the FCT minister of failing to effectively discharge their responsibility to protect citizens.
The organisation stressed that the Nigerian Constitution does not support secret spending of public funds and cited a Supreme Court judgment which affirmed that the Freedom of Information Act applies to public records held by states and the FCT, including records on security votes.
SERAP maintained that while sensitive operational details may be protected for security reasons, there is no legal justification for withholding basic information on public spending, describing the failure to account for security votes as a serious breach of public trust.
The group added that prolonged secrecy around security votes has encouraged misuse of funds and allowed public officials to avoid scrutiny, linking Nigeria’s security challenges to extreme poverty and weak state capacity as highlighted in a recent World Bank classification.
It was stated that no date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
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