Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sent Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to Nigeria’s 36 state governors urging them to “promptly account for the spending of public funds in the name of ‘security votes’ by your states since 29 May 2023 to guarantee and ensure the security of life and property of Nigerians resident in your states.” SERAP also urged the governors to “urgently invite the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to jointly investigate, track and monitor the spending of security votes by your states.” In the FoI requests dated 28 June 2025 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: “In the wake of the Benue massacre and well-documented ongoing cases of insecurity in several states, there is a legitimate public interest for governors to account for how they spend security votes.’” SERAP said, “the escalating insecurity i...