The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has dragged the Federal Government before the ECOWAS Court over alleged irregularities involving N78.8 billion allocated to cash transfer programmes.
According to The PUNCH, SERAP disclosed the lawsuit on Sunday, October 25, 2026, in a statement issued by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare.
The organisation alleged that the funds, intended to support vulnerable Nigerians, were affected by questionable expenditures and inadequate financial records.
SERAP explained that the allegations were contained in the Auditor-General of the Federation’s 2024 Annual Report, published in August 2026.
SERAP demands accountability over N78.8bn
The lawsuit, marked ECW/CCJ/APP/42/26, seeks an order compelling the government to account for the questioned funds.
SERAP also wants authorities to investigate the alleged irregularities and recover any money found to have been unlawfully spent.
“The funds were intended to benefit over 3.2 million households across 35 states,” the organisation stated.
According to the group, inadequate oversight could undermine vulnerable households’ access to financial support.
The Auditor-General reportedly questioned approximately N33.75 billion transferred to beneficiaries without sufficient records to verify the payments.
Other findings included N36.74 billion in payments allegedly made without prepayment audits and N4.62 billion in unsupported expenditure.
SERAP seeks stronger financial oversight
The organisation argued that the alleged irregularities could violate Nigeria’s international obligations to protect citizens’ rights to social security.
It asked the court to direct authorities to improve beneficiary verification, auditing and financial reporting procedures.
SERAP also called for an independent investigation into the allegations and appropriate sanctions where wrongdoing is established.
The organisation maintained that public funds intended to reduce poverty must be managed transparently.
It further disclosed that previous requests for government action on the audit findings had not produced an adequate response.
No hearing date has been fixed for the lawsuit.
The allegations remain subject to judicial consideration, and the filing does not establish that the funds were stolen.
