SERAP argues that the officials have not demonstrated how the funds were used to protect lives and property of citizens, despite the persistent insecurity across the country.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against Nigeria’s state governors and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, over their alleged failure to account for the expenditure of billions of naira allocated as “security votes” since May 29, 2023.
SERAP argues that the officials have not demonstrated how the funds were used to protect lives and property of citizens, despite the persistent insecurity across the country.
The legal action follows reports of the recent killings in Benue State and other well-documented cases of insecurity in several states and the FCT, even as over ₦400 billion is reportedly budgeted annually as security votes. In 2026 alone, 10 governors are said to have earmarked about ₦140 billion for security votes.
In the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/95/2026 filed last Friday at the Federal High Court in Abuja, SERAP is asking the court to "direct and compel the governors and Mr Wike to disclose the details of the spending of security votes by them since 29 May 2023 to date, which are intended to ensure the security of life and property of Nigerians."
SERAP is also asking the court to "compel the governors and Mr Wike to provide detailed reports on the allocation and spending of security votes by their states and the FCT, including the information on implementation status and completion reports, and the plans, if any, for improving the security infrastructure in the states and FCT."
In the suit, SERAP argues that "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 FCT minister."
According to the organisation, "the escalatig insecurity in several states and FCT is taking a devastating toll on socially and economically vulnerable Nigerians, driving up extreme poverty, intensifying hunger and leading to other grave human rights violations."
The suit filed on behalf of SERAP by its lawyers Oluwakemi Agunbiade, Andrew Nwankwo, and Valentina Adegoke, read in part: "There is a significant risk of embezzlement, misappropriation or diversion of public funds collected by the states and FCT as security votes.
"Despite the billions of naira yearly budgeted as security votes, many governors and FCT ministers are grossly failing to guarantee and ensure the security and welfare of the Nigerian people, contrary to section 14(2)(b) of the Nigerian Constitution.
"Directing the governors and FCT minister to account for security votes spending would serve to engage Nigerians in an honest conversation about the security problems and what the governors and minister are doing to respond to them.
"The intense secrecy and lack of meaningful oversight of the spending of security votes by governors have for many years contributed to large-scale stealing of public funds."
"Years of secrecy in the spending of security votes have also limited the ability of the people to hold high-ranking public officials to account for their constitutional responsibility to ensure the security and welfare of the people," it said.
The organisation described the failure by state governors and FCT minister to disclose and account for the spending of security votes as a “grave violation of the public trust and the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution, national anticorruption laws, and the country's international human rights and anticorruption obligations."
"Pervasive tendency by governors to regard or treat security votes as their personal entitlement or funds is antithetical to the Nigerian Constitution and international standards. Security votes should be used for improving the security situation in the states or returned to the public treasury," it said.
No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.