The Socio Economic Rights and Accountability Project has asked all thirty six state governors to give a clear account of how they have spent public funds tagged as security votes since May 29, 2023.
The organisation made the request through Freedom of Information letters dated June 28, 2025 and signed by its deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare.
SERAP said there is strong public interest in knowing how the money is used, especially after the recent killings in Benue and the rising insecurity across the country.
It added that the current situation is worsening poverty, hunger and other abuses faced by vulnerable Nigerians.
SERAP urged the governors to invite the EFCC and ICPC to jointly investigate and monitor the spending of the funds.
The group said the constitution never approved secret use of public money under the cover of security votes and reminded the governors that they have a duty to ensure the safety and welfare of the people.
It said billions of naira are allocated every year for security votes, yet many states struggle to provide basic safety. The group noted that in 2021 alone, governors and local government chairmen reportedly received more than N375 billion under the same provision.
SERAP explained that while government can keep certain operational details away from the public, there is no reason for hiding basic spending records. It gave the governors seven days to respond or face legal action.
The group referred to a Supreme Court judgement which ruled that the Freedom of Information Act applies to all public records across the federation, including those kept by state governments.
According to SERAP, this ruling means governors can no longer claim the law does not cover them.
It said any refusal to reveal how the money is spent defies the judgement and undermines transparency. The group added that secrecy has encouraged diversion of funds for many years and has weakened public oversight.
It described the failure to disclose security vote spending as a breach of public trust and a violation of the constitution and anti corruption laws.
SERAP also pointed to a recent World Bank report which listed Nigeria among fragile and conflict affected countries.
The report linked insecurity to rising poverty, declining services and worsening humanitarian conditions.
The group said many governors are not living up to their primary responsibility of protecting life and property and insisted that security votes should be used strictly to improve safety or returned to the public purse.
