The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sued President Muhammadu Buhari, the National Assembly, and the 36 state governors, among others at the Federal High Court, Abuja for failing to disclose and account for monies expended on security votes from 1999 till date.
In the suit filed last Friday, SERAP is “seeking leave to apply for judicial review and an order of mandamus to direct and compel President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Assembly to disclose details of allocations, disbursement and spending of security votes by the Federal Government, 36 state governors and 774 local governments between 1999 and 2019.”
The suit, filed by SERAP’s lawyers Kolawole Oluwadare and Opeyemi Owolabi, followed SERAP’s Freedom of Information requests and the respondents’ failure to account for some N241.2 billion of public funds allocated, disbursed and spent yearly as security votes, and the corresponding lack of effective protection of the rights to security and welfare, life and physical integrity of millions of Nigerians.
Apart from Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, others joined as parties in the suit are: Godwin Emefiele, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Ahmed Idris, Accountant General of the Federation and Anthony Ayine, Auditor General for the Federation.
“Nigerians have the constitutional and international human right to know details of the exact amounts that have been spent as security votes and specific areas and projects covered by the allocations, disbursement and spending.
“There is overriding public interest in Nigerians having access to these details, and the respondents have legal obligations to facilitate public access to such information,” a statement from SERAP read.
