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The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against the Nigerian Government at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Community Court of Justice over alleged financial irregularities involving ₦78.8 billion allocated to cash-transfer and social-protection programmes.
SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, identifying the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, the National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO) and the National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO) as the agencies linked to the allegations.
SERAP takes Tinubu govt to ECOWAS Court over ₦78.8bn cash transfer scandal
https://t.co/c6YGXIMICG https://t.co/1zaiYyd2mz— SERAP (@SERAPNigeria) October 25, 2026
The allegations are contained in the Auditor-General of the Federation’s 2024 Annual Report, published on August 7, 2026. The report examined transactions covering various periods between January 2023 and December 31, 2024.
In the suit, marked ECW/CCJ/APP/42/26 and filed last week, SERAP is asking the court to declare that the government’s failure to account for the funds breaches Nigeria’s international human rights obligations.
The organisation also wants the court to compel the government to explain how the funds were spent, investigate the reported irregularities, recover any money found to have been improperly spent or diverted, and improve financial oversight of social-protection programmes.
SERAP warned that the alleged irregularities could affect the rights of vulnerable Nigerians to social security and an adequate standard of living, including access to food, clothing and housing.
It noted that the funds were intended to support more than 3.2 million households across 35 states, raising concerns about whether beneficiaries received the assistance allocated to them.
The statement party read, “The funds were intended to benefit over 3.2 million households across 35 states, whose access to financial assistance has been affected by the allegations made by the Auditor-General.”
The case, filed by SERAP’s lawyers, Kolawole Oluwadare and Kehinde Oyewumi, argues that the government’s failure to investigate the findings and recover any misused funds amounts to a breach of its duty to protect vulnerable households.
“The failure to investigate the N78.8 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 suit partly read.
SERAP described the lawsuit as a public-interest action intended to protect affected beneficiaries and ensure that public funds allocated for their welfare are properly accounted for.
The organisation argued that cash-transfer programmes could help reduce extreme poverty and enable vulnerable people to meet basic needs, but stressed that establishing such programmes was insufficient without effective systems to verify beneficiaries, document payments, reconcile disbursements, monitor spending and address financial irregularities.
According to the Auditor-General’s report, approximately ₦33.751billion was reportedly transferred to more than 3.2 million households across 35 states in 2023. However, the report noted that the records provided were inadequate to verify the payments and reconcile beneficiary information.
The report also questioned ₦36.744billion in payments allegedly made without prepayment audits, ₦4.616billion in unsupported expenditure, ₦350.182million spent on enrolment, ₦89.511million in store purchases and ₦17.422million in diesel advances.
SERAP said it brought the case under Article 9(4) of the ECOWAS Court Protocol, arguing that the court should ensure accountability for funds intended to support vulnerable households.
It maintained that the central issue was whether the government had met its obligations under human rights treaties to protect resources allocated for social protection, investigate documented financial irregularities, provide remedies and ensure the funds were used for their intended purposes.
The organisation also cited the Auditor-General’s constitutional responsibility to examine and report on the public accounts of the Federation and the offices and agencies of the Nigerian Government. It described the findings in the annual report as official records that warranted an effective response.
SERAP further relied on Articles 1 and 2 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, arguing that the government must protect recognised rights and ensure that failures in administering social-protection programmes do not lead to discriminatory exclusion or unequal access to assistance.
“The Nigerian government has the obligation to take effective measures to prevent and address corruption and related misuse of public resources. The government has failed to take appropriate measures in response to the allegations made by the Auditor-General”, the statement added.
It also cited Articles 1 and 21 of the African Charter and Article 9 of the United Nations Convention against Corruption as grounds for requiring effective measures to protect public resources, improve financial transparency, investigate irregularities and recover funds where improper expenditure or losses are established.
The organisation said it had previously called on President Bola Tinubu and relevant authorities to account for the questioned funds, release audit records, investigate the reported expenditure, recover any money found to have been misused and take appropriate action against those responsible.
Following the publication of the Auditor-General’s report, SERAP issued a public statement and sent a letter dated September 5, 2026, requesting action on the findings. It also requested payment and beneficiary records, verification documents and an explanation for missing REMITA records.
According to SERAP, the deadline it gave the government to respond to the findings expired without adequate action.
The organisation also cited the work of legal scholar Kolawole Olaniyan, including Corruption and Human Rights Law in Africa, published by Hart Publishing in 2014, and Ownership of Proceeds of Corruption in International Law, published by Oxford University Press in 2023. SERAP argued that the publications support the connection between corruption, human rights, public accountability and international legal remedies.
SERAP maintained that the Auditor-General’s findings should not be treated as mere administrative lapses where public funds intended for social protection may have been lost, improperly spent or left unaccounted for without effective corrective action.
“SERAP accordingly submits that the Auditor-General’s findings cannot be treated merely as administrative irregularities where public funds allocated for social protection may have been lost, improperly spent or left unaccounted for, and the government fails to take effective corrective action,” the statement added.
The organisation is asking the court to order an independent, prompt and effective investigation into the reported irregularities, the recovery of any funds found to have been improperly spent, diverted or lost, and appropriate legal or administrative action against those found responsible, in line with due process.
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It also wants stronger financial controls, beneficiary verification, auditing, reconciliation and oversight mechanisms to prevent a recurrence and ensure eligible households receive the assistance intended for them.
SERAP is further seeking an order preventing the government from administering or disbursing cash-transfer and social-protection funds without adequate accountability and oversight systems. It is also asking for appropriate remedies for any adverse effects on beneficiaries’ protected rights established in the case.
No date has been fixed for the hearing.
