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The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has dragged the Federal Government before the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice over alleged financial irregularities involving ₦78.8 billion allocated to federal cash-transfer and social-protection programmes.
The organisation is seeking an order compelling the government to account for the funds, investigate the alleged irregularities, recover any money found to have been unlawfully spent or diverted, and ensure that vulnerable households receive the assistance intended for them.
The suit, numbered ECW/CCJ/APP/42/26, was filed last week, according to a statement issued by SERAP Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, on Sunday.
SERAP said the allegations were documented in the Auditor-General of the Federation’s 2024 Annual Report, published on August 7, 2026, covering various periods between January 2023 and December 2024.
According to the organisation, the report identified questionable transactions involving the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, the National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO) and the National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO).
Among the issues raised was approximately ₦33.751 billion reportedly transferred to more than 3.2 million households across 35 states in 2023, for which, SERAP said, adequate records to verify payments and reconcile beneficiary details were not provided.
The report also questioned ₦36.744 billion in payments allegedly made without prepayment audits, ₦4.616 billion in unsupported expenditures, ₦350.182 million allocated for enrolment, ₦89.511 million spent on store purchases and ₦17.422 million in diesel advances.
SERAP argued that the alleged failures in financial accountability raised concerns about whether public funds intended to support vulnerable Nigerians had been properly managed and whether beneficiaries had received the assistance meant for them.
“The failure to investigate the ₦78.8 billion cash-transfer scandal, account for the questioned funds and recover any unlawfully spent amounts violates Nigeria’s obligations to protect the human rights of vulnerable households,” the organisation stated in its court filing.
The group maintained that cash-transfer programmes were designed to help households experiencing extreme poverty meet essential needs, including food, clothing and housing, and that failures in their administration could undermine protected socioeconomic rights.
It is asking the court to declare that the government’s failure to investigate and address the reported financial irregularities, where they impair or threaten access to intended benefits, violates Nigeria’s international human rights obligations.
SERAP is also seeking an order directing the relevant government agencies to provide comprehensive and verifiable records of the questioned funds, including payment documents, beneficiary verification records and financial reconciliation details.
The organisation further wants an independent, prompt and effective investigation into the identified irregularities, with the recovery of funds improperly spent, diverted or lost where established, as well as appropriate legal or administrative action against persons found responsible, subject to due process.
In addition, it is asking the court to direct the government to strengthen auditing, beneficiary verification, financial reconciliation and oversight mechanisms to prevent a recurrence of the alleged lapses.
The group said the case was brought in the public interest to protect affected households and promote accountability in the management of public resources allocated for social protection.
SERAP disclosed that it had previously written to President Bola Tinubu and relevant authorities on September 5, urging them to account for the questioned funds, publish audit records, investigate irregular expenditures and recover any money unlawfully spent or diverted.
It also requested payment and beneficiary records, verification documents and explanations for missing Remita records, according to the statement.
The organisation said the deadline it gave the government to address the Auditor-General’s findings had elapsed without adequate action, prompting it to seek judicial intervention.
SERAP is relying on provisions of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the United Nations Convention against Corruption in arguing that governments have obligations to protect public resources, ensure transparent financial management and provide remedies where rights are affected.
The case places the administration of federal cash-transfer programmes under legal scrutiny, particularly regarding the documentation of disbursements, verification of beneficiaries and accountability for public expenditure.
No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
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