SERAP Sues Govs, Wike Over Security Vote Fund Spending Amid Growing Insurgency

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against State Governors and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over their alleged failure to account for allocations spent as security votes since May 29, 2023.

According to a Sunday statement signed by the organisation’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP said the suit was prompted by rising insecurity across several states and the FCT, despite huge public funds allocated yearly to security votes, including reports of mass killings in Benue State and other violent incidents nationwide.

In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/95/2026, filed last Friday at the Federal High Court in Abuja, SERAP is asking the court to compel the governors and the FCT minister to publicly disclose details of how security votes collected since May 29, 2023, have been spent.

The statement reads, “We’ve filed a lawsuit against Nigeria’s governors and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, over their failure to account for the spending of billions of naira of public funds in the name of ‘security votes’ by them since 29 May 2023 to guarantee and ensure the security of life and property of Nigerians.

“The suit followed reports of the Benue massacre and well-documented ongoing cases of insecurity in several states and the FCT, despite the over N400 billion budgeted yearly as ‘security votes.’ 10 governors reportedly budgeted about N140 billion as security votes in 2026.”

The statement added, “The escalating 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.

“Several state governors and FCT minister continue to fail to effectively discharge their primary and constitutional responsibility to protect the lives and property of the Nigerian people.”