SERAP Sues Federal Government at ECOWAS Court Over N78.8bn Cash Transfer Irregularities
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against the Federal
Government at the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice over alleged diversion, irregular expenditure
and failure to account for more than N78.8 billion allocated to cash-transfer and social-protection
programmes.
In a statement issued on Sunday by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP said the suit,
marked ECW/CCJ/APP/42/26 and filed last week in Abuja, follows findings in the Auditor-General of the
Federation’s 2024 Annual Report, published on 7 August 2026.
The report covers periods between January 2023 and 31 December 2024 and involves the Ministry of
Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, the National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO) and the National
Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO).
SERAP is seeking a declaration that the government’s failure to account for the funds and take effective
corrective measures is unlawful and violates Nigeria’s international human rights obligations under the
African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and other instruments.
The group is also asking the court to compel the government to provide a full account of the questioned
funds, investigate the alleged irregularities, recover any money found to have been improperly spent or
diverted, and strengthen financial oversight and beneficiary verification mechanisms.
According to the Auditor-General’s report, as cited by SERAP, approximately N33.751 billion was
reportedly transferred to more than 3.2 million households across 35 states in 2023, but adequate
records to verify the payments and reconcile beneficiary details were not provided.
The report also identified N36.744 billion in payments allegedly made without prepayment audits,
N4.616 billion in unsupported expenditure, N350.182 million for enrolment, N89.511 million for store
purchases and N17.422 million in diesel advances.
SERAP stated that the funds were intended to benefit vulnerable households and that the failure to
account for them undermines the socio-economic rights of millions of Nigerians.
The organisation noted that after the audit report’s publication, it issued a public statement and sent a
letter dated 5 September 2026 to President Bola Tinubu and relevant authorities, urging them to
account for the funds, publish audit records, investigate irregularities, recover diverted money and
sanction those responsible.
The deadline for a response elapsed without adequate action, prompting the court filing under Article
9(4) of the ECOWAS Court Protocol.
The suit was filed by SERAP’s lawyers, Kolawole Oluwadare and Kehinde Oyewumi.
By Oyinkansola Shittu
