Security votes: SERAP drags Buhari to court

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), has filed a lawsuit in the Federal High Court, Abuja, to  compel President Muhammadu Buhari, and principal officers of the National Assembly to disclose detailed amount spent on provision of security and welfare of Nigerians.

The suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1369/2019, filed by SERAP’s lawyers Kolawole Oluwadare who is also its Deputy Director and Opeyemi Owolabi, followed the organisation’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.”

However, no date has been fixed for hearing on the matter.

A statement issued by SERAP on the matter said the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, Accountant-General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, and the Auditor-General of the Federation, Anthony Ayine, are also listed as respondents in the suit.

The statement reads: “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 an overriding public interest in Nigerians having access to these details, and the respondents have legal obligations to facilitate public access to such information.”

“The Constitutional provisions requiring governments to ensure the security and welfare of the people are intended to protect the security and safety of citizens and not the security of a few individuals in government. Without transparency and accountability, the mismanagement and corruption in the allocation, disbursement, and spending of security votes will continue with devastating consequences.”