FG Dragged to ECOWAS Court Over N78.8bn Cash Transfer Funds

The Federal Government has been sued at the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice over alleged irregularities involving N78.8 billion allocated to cash-transfer and social-protection programmes for vulnerable Nigerians.

The suit was filed by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), which is asking the regional court to compel the government to account for the funds, investigate the alleged financial breaches and recover any money found to have been improperly spent or diverted.

The case concerns funds linked to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, the National Cash Transfer Office and the National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office.

The allegations were contained in the Auditor-General of the Federation’s 2024 Annual Report, published on August 7, 2026, covering financial activities between January 2023 and December 31, 2024.

SERAP disclosed the development in a statement issued by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, on Sunday.

The organisation said it approached the court after its requests for the government to address the audit findings and provide explanations for the questioned expenditure had not received an adequate response.

The suit, marked ECW/CCJ/APP/42/26, was filed last week by SERAP’s lawyers, Kolawole Oluwadare and Kehinde Oyewumi.

The organisation is seeking a declaration that the alleged failure to account for the money and investigate the reported irregularities violates Nigeria’s obligations under international human rights law.

According to SERAP, the money was intended to support millions of vulnerable households through cash transfers and other social-protection interventions.

It argued that any failure to properly manage the funds could affect the ability of beneficiaries to meet basic needs, including food, clothing and housing.

The organisation stated, “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.”

File: Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP)

SERAP maintained that cash-transfer programmes are designed to help households facing economic hardship, but said their effectiveness depends on transparent management, accurate beneficiary records and proper monitoring of public expenditure.

It argued that the government has a responsibility to ensure that funds allocated for vulnerable citizens reach the intended recipients.

“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.

The organisation said it filed the case in the public interest, with the aim of protecting affected households and ensuring that money earmarked for social assistance is properly accounted for.

“SERAP brings this public-interest case to protect the interests of affected households and ensure accountability for public funds allocated for their benefit,” it stated.

The audit report reportedly questioned approximately N33.751 billion said to have been transferred to more than 3.2 million households across 35 states in 2023.

According to the findings cited by SERAP, the relevant authorities did not provide sufficient documentation to verify the payments or reconcile beneficiary records.

The absence of adequate records has raised questions about whether the money reached the intended recipients.

SERAP is asking the government to produce payment records, beneficiary details, verification documents and other evidence that can establish how the funds were distributed.

However, the allegations contained in the audit report have yet to be determined by the court, and the filing of the suit does not by itself establish that the funds were diverted or that any individual committed an offence.

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.

This article first appeared on Politics Nigeria: https://politicsnigeria.com/2026/10/25/fg-dragged-to-ecowas-court-over-n78-8bn-cash-transfer-funds/

The post FG Dragged to ECOWAS Court Over N78.8bn Cash Transfer Funds appeared first on Politics Nigeria.