Koko Maxwella 
ABUJA, Nigeria – Nigeria’s leading rights group, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), files a fresh lawsuit against state governors and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, over the alleged failure to account for billions of naira spent as security votes since May 29, 2023.
Filed last Friday at the Federal High Court in Abuja, the suit comes amid worsening insecurity nationwide, including mass killings in Benue State and repeated attacks across several regions, despite ballooning security budgets.
SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, in a statement on Sunday says the case seeks to compel governors and the FCT minister to publicly disclose how security votes collected since the start of the current administration are spent.
“Nigerians ought to know in what manner public funds meant to protect lives and property are utilised,” the organisation states.
Court documents show that over ₦400 billion is budgeted annually as security votes nationwide, while at least ₦140 billion is earmarked by 10 governors alone in the 2026 budget cycle.
SERAP asks the court to order full disclosure of allocations, implementation status, completed projects and future security plans funded through security votes.
The group warns that secrecy fuels corruption and weakens democratic accountability.
“The framers of the 1999 Constitution never contemplated opaque spending of public funds,” SERAP argues, adding that unchecked discretion increases the risk of embezzlement.
The suit, filed by lawyers Oluwakemi Agunbiade, Andrew Nwankwo and Valentina Adegoke, insists that transparency is essential as insecurity deepens poverty, hunger and human rights violations across the country.
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Korede Abdullah 
Oluwatobi Adu 
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