The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately establish a presidential panel of inquiry to investigate alleged embezzlement and diversion of security votes by state governors since 2015.

The organisation, in a statement signed and issued by its deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, said the president’s recent declaration of a national security emergency would be ineffective unless state governors are held accountable for the billions of naira allocated to tackle insecurity across their states.

SERAP argued that probing how security votes have been spent would strengthen the implementation of the nationwide security emergency and bolster the federal government’s ability to fulfil its responsibility of ensuring citizens’ safety.

The organisation said holding governors to account and recovering any misappropriated funds would serve legitimate public interest and help address the escalating insecurity affecting several parts of the country.

Citing a Transparency International (TI) report, SERAP noted that most of the funds appropriated as security votes are spent on political activities, mismanaged, or simply stolen, adding that security votes amount to an estimated N241.2 billion annually. It further stated that state governments also receive millions of dollars in international security assistance.

According to SERAP, longstanding allegations of diversion of security votes have contributed significantly to the rise in insecurity and the failure of many governors to discharge their constitutional duty to safeguard lives and property.

“The pervasive tendency by state governors to treat security votes as personal funds is antithetical to the Nigerian Constitution and international standards,” the statement said. It added that such funds should strictly be used to improve security or returned to the public treasury.

SERAP referenced Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution, which states that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government, insisting that successive administrations have failed to uphold this obligation.

The group further stressed that while sitting governors have immunity from arrest and prosecution, they do not enjoy immunity from investigation. It urged President Tinubu to ensure that allegations against serving governors are thoroughly investigated, noting that such findings could form the basis for impeachment proceedings where necessary.

“With widespread reports of abductions, killings and other security challenges nationwide, the time has come for President Tinubu to hold state governors to account on their spending of security votes,” SERAP said.