LAGOS, Nigeria (Chatnewstv.com) — A Nigerian rights group has called on the country’s 36 state governors to publicly account for their use of security votes and to invite federal anti-corruption agencies to investigate the opaque spending, citing mounting insecurity and widespread poverty.
In a statement Sunday, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) said it had sent Freedom of Information (FoI) requests to all governors urging them to explain how funds allocated for state security since May 29, 2023, have been spent.
“There is a legitimate public interest for governors to account for how they spend security votes,” SERAP said, referencing ongoing security crises across several states, including recent killings in Benue.
The group said that despite billions of naira budgeted annually, many governors are failing to fulfill their constitutional responsibility to guarantee citizens’ safety and welfare.
“The escalating insecurity is taking a devastating toll on vulnerable Nigerians, intensifying hunger and extreme poverty,” the group warned.
In its June 28 letter signed by Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP demanded that governors invite both the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate, track, and monitor state-level security vote expenditures.
SERAP argued that the concept of security votes—funds typically disbursed without detailed public accounting—lacks constitutional backing and has enabled unchecked corruption.
“In 2021 alone, state governors and local council chairmen reportedly collected over ₦375 billion in the name of security votes,” the group said.
It cited a recent Supreme Court judgment affirming the applicability of the Freedom of Information Act across the country, including at the state level, dismissing claims by governors that the Act only applies to the federal government.
“Governors can no longer escape accountability,” the statement said. “Failure to account for security vote spending will amount to a blatant disregard of the Supreme Court judgment.”
The group warned that continued secrecy and misuse of public funds under the guise of security undermines democratic accountability and contributes to human rights violations.
“The tendency to treat security votes as personal entitlements is antithetical to constitutional and international anti-corruption standards,” SERAP said, warning legal action would follow if the governors failed to respond within seven days.
The statement also referenced a recent World Bank classification of Nigeria as a country in a fragile and conflict-affected situation (FCS), linking insecurity to deepening poverty and weak public services.
“As insecurity escalates, governors must not only spend transparently but must also be seen to prioritize the welfare and safety of their people,” SERAP said.
Editor: Gabriel Ani
