Security Votes: SERAP Sues 36 Governors, Wike Over Billions Spent Since May 2023
The 36 state governors and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, have been dragged into a significant legal confrontation over the management of public funds earmarked as security votes.
PulseNets learnt that a suit has been filed before the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, seeking a comprehensive account of the billions of naira disbursed as security votes since the current administration assumed office on May 29, 2023.
The lawsuit was instituted by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) against the backdrop of mounting public anger over Nigeria’s deteriorating security situation. Despite the huge allocations made to state governments and the FCT for security-related expenditures, violent attacks, kidnappings, and killings have continued to spread across several parts of the country.
Court documents obtained by PulseNets show that the case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/95/2026, 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.”
SERAP argued that the persistent secrecy surrounding security votes creates fertile ground for corruption and abuse. The group noted that an estimated N400 billion is allocated annually as security votes nationwide, with reports indicating that no fewer than 10 governors have set aside an additional N140 billion for the same purpose in their 2026 budget proposals.
Speaking on the matter, SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, told PulseNets 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 the FCT minister.”
The organisation further maintained that the Nigerian Constitution does not endorse the secretive use of public funds, insisting that citizens have a lawful right to access implementation details of projects financed through security votes.
SERAP’s legal team, led by Oluwakemi Agunbiade and Andrew Nwankwo, reportedly drew the court’s attention to an existing Supreme Court ruling which affirmed that the Freedom of Information Act applies to all public records across the federation. This, they argued, includes state-held records on security votes.
Also Read: EFCC Detectives Quiz Obiano Over ₦5b Sure-P, ₦37b Security Votes Spending
According to the suit, “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.” The action seeks to ensure that such funds are deployed strictly for security purposes and not treated as a “personal entitlement” by public officeholders.
As of the time of filing this report, PulseNets reported that no hearing date has been scheduled. However, observers believe the case could become a landmark moment in the push for fiscal transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s system of governance.
