The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against the Federal Government of Nigeria before the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice in Abuja over the alleged diversion, irregular expenditure, and failure to account for over ₦78.8 billion in public funds meant for vulnerable households.
The suit (No. ECW/CCJ/APP/42/26), filed last week, directly implicates the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, the National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO), and the National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO).
The allegations stem from financial improprieties documented in the 2024 Annual Report of the Auditor-General of the Federation, which was published on August 7, 2026. According to the report, the infractions spanned various periods between January 2023 and December 31, 2024.
In a statement on Sunday, in the lawsuit, SERAP is asking the regional court to declare that the Nigerian government’s failure to account for the ₦78.8 billion allocated for federal cash-transfer and social-protection programmes is unlawful and constitutes a direct breach of Nigeria’s international human rights obligations.
The civil society organization argued that the mismanagement of funds intended for vulnerable households directly undermines rights protected under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, including the rights to social security, food, clothing, and housing.
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SERAP is seeking an order of perpetual injunction to restrain the government from further disbursing cash-transfer and social-protection funds without establishing adequate financial accountability, beneficiary verification, and strict auditing oversight mechanisms.
“The failure to account for substantial public funds allocated for social protection, and to investigate and remedy deficiencies, undermines the socio-economic rights of millions of affected Nigerians,” SERAP stated, noting that the missing funds were meant to benefit over 3.2 million households across 35 states.
SERAP stressed that the government’s continued failure to investigate the scandal, recover unlawfully spent funds, and hold perpetrators accountable remains a direct violation of its duty to protect its most vulnerable citizens.
No date has been fixed yet for the hearing of the suit.