The Socio-{Economic} Rights and Accountability Mission has filed a lawsuit towards state governors and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over their alleged failure to account for billions of naira spent as safety votes since Might 29, 2023.
SERAP mentioned the swimsuit was prompted by persistent insecurity throughout a number of states and the FCT, regardless of big public funds allotted yearly to safety votes, together with stories of mass killings in Benue State and different violent incidents nationwide.
This was disclosed in an announcement saying the lawsuit, and signed on Sunday, by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare.
Within the swimsuit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/95/2026, filed final Friday on the Federal Excessive Courtroom in Abuja, SERAP is asking the courtroom to compel the governors and the FCT minister to publicly disclose particulars of how safety votes collected since Might 29, 2023, have been spent.
The organisation can also be searching for an order directing them to supply detailed stories on the allocation, utilisation, implementation standing and completion of tasks funded with safety votes, in addition to any plans to enhance safety infrastructure of their states and the FCT.
In line with SERAP, over N400bn is budgeted yearly as safety votes throughout the nation, whereas not less than 10 governors reportedly earmarked about N140bn for a similar objective within the 2026 funds yr.
Within the swimsuit, SERAP argued that Nigerians have a proper to understand how public funds meant to guard lives and property are being utilised.
“Nigerians should know in what method public funds, together with safety votes meant to make sure the safety of life and property of Nigerians, are spent by the governors and the FCT minister,” the organisation mentioned.
SERAP warned that escalating insecurity was taking a heavy toll on susceptible Nigerians, worsening poverty, starvation and human rights abuses.
“The escalating insecurity in a number of states and the FCT is taking a devastating toll on socially and economically susceptible Nigerians,” it mentioned, including that many governors and the FCT minister had didn’t successfully discharge their constitutional accountability to guard lives and property.
The rights group argued that the Nigerian Structure doesn’t help secretive spending of public funds, stressing that democracy calls for transparency and accountability.
“The framers of the Nigerian Structure 1999 [as amended] by no means contemplated opaque spending of public funds as safety votes,” SERAP mentioned, noting that residents’ proper to know promotes openness and strengthens democratic governance.
The swimsuit, filed on behalf of SERAP by its attorneys Oluwakemi Agunbiade, Andrew Nwankwo and Valentina Adegoke, acknowledged that secrecy round safety votes will increase the chance of embezzlement and diversion of public funds.
“There’s a vital danger of embezzlement, misappropriation or diversion of public funds collected by the states and FCT as safety votes,” the organisation argued.
SERAP additional mentioned that years of secrecy had undermined public oversight and accountability, permitting public officers to evade scrutiny over their dealing with of safety tasks.
The organisation cited a Supreme Courtroom judgment affirming that the Freedom of Data Act applies to public data throughout the federation, together with data on safety votes held by states and the FCT.
“With the landmark judgment, the Supreme Courtroom has made clear that state governors can not cover below their unfounded declare that the Freedom of Data Act doesn’t apply to them,” SERAP acknowledged.
“THE WORLD BANK RECENTLY CLASSIFIED NIGERIA AS AN “ECONOMY IN FRAGILE AND CONFLICT-AFFECTED SITUATIONS (FCS)”, WHICH EXPLAINS WHY THE COUNTRY CONTINUES TO FACE SEVERE AND PERSISTENT DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES.”
The group maintained that whereas sure operational particulars might be protected for nationwide safety causes, there was no authorized foundation for withholding primary info on public spending.
“The failure by state governors and the FCT minister to reveal and account for the spending of safety votes is a grave violation of the general public belief,” SERAP mentioned, including that treating safety votes as private entitlement was opposite to constitutional and worldwide requirements.
It additionally referenced a current World {Bank} classification of Nigeria as an economic system in fragile and conflict-affected conditions, linking rising insecurity to excessive poverty, meals insecurity and weak state capability.
“The World {Bank} not too long ago categorised Nigeria as ‘economic system in fragile and conflict-affected conditions (FCS)’, which explains why the nation continues to face extreme and chronic improvement challenges.
“Different 38 nations categorised as FCS alongside Nigeria embrace Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Libya, Mali, and Sudan. The World {Bank} famous that insecurity is contributing to excessive poverty in Nigeria.
“In line with the {Bank}, ‘the outlook for poverty in Nigeria is sobering. Tens of millions of persons are at present experiencing acute meals insecurity. Extreme gaps in training and well being undermine human improvement within the nation,” the assertion partly learn.
It was acknowledged that no date has been mounted for the listening to of the swimsuit.