The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has instituted a lawsuit against the Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu, and the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc. (NBET), over their alleged failure to account for ₦128 billion in public funds reportedly missing or diverted from the power sector.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/143/2026, was filed last Friday before the Federal High Court in Abuja. It follows revelations contained in the latest annual report of the Auditor-General of the Federation, published on September 9, 2025, which detailed extensive financial irregularities within the Federal Ministry of Power and NBET.
SERAP is seeking an order of mandamus compelling the defendants to account for the alleged missing or diverted ₦128 billion and to provide comprehensive details of how the funds were spent.
This includes disclosure of dates of disbursement, identities of beneficiaries or contractors, their registered business names, and addresses.
The civil society organisation is also asking the court to direct the minister and NBET to disclose the full names, official designations, and offices of all public officers who authorised, approved, or participated in the release of the disputed funds.
In its court papers, SERAP argued that Nigerians continue to bear the brunt of “widespread and grand corruption” in the power sector, which it said has contributed significantly to persistent electricity outages and frequent national grid collapses.
The organisation noted that Nigerians recently experienced the first grid collapse of 2026, plunging large parts of the country into darkness.
“Ordinary Nigerians continue to pay the price for corruption in the electricity sector, staying in darkness, but still made to pay crazy electricity bills,” SERAP said.
The suit was filed on SERAP’s behalf by its lawyers, Kolawole Oluwadare, Kehinde Oyewumi, and Andrew Nwankwo.
According to the organisation, the allegations raised by the Auditor-General amount to grave violations of public trust, the 1999 Constitution (as amended), and international anti-corruption standards.
SERAP highlighted findings in the Auditor-General’s 2022 audited report, which stated that the Ministry of Power failed to account for over ₦4.4 billion transferred to the Mambilla, Zungeru, and Kashimbilla project accounts, with no evidence of how the funds were expended.
The report also alleged that more than ₦95 billion was paid to contractors for projects for which there was no documentation or proof of execution.
Additional queries raised include over ₦33 million spent on foreign travels without approval, ₦230 million allegedly expended on the GIGMIS platform without proper accounting, and ₦282 million paid as non-personal advances to staff in excess of statutory limits.
NBET was also accused of multiple financial infractions, including the irregular award of contracts worth over ₦427 million without evidence of procurement advertisements, and the transfer of more than ₦7.6 billion into purported sub-accounts of unnamed beneficiaries without authorisation.
The Auditor-General further queried payments running into billions of naira to power companies, consultants, and other beneficiaries without adequate documentation, approvals, or evidence of services rendered.
These include payments for consultancy services, vehicle procurement, legal fees, professional training, and extra-budgetary expenditures allegedly made without the approval of relevant authorities.
SERAP argued that granting the reliefs sought would help curb corruption in the power sector, address persistent breakdowns in transmission infrastructure, and improve Nigerians’ access to regular and uninterrupted electricity supply.
The group added that a favourable ruling would strike a blow against the culture of impunity surrounding public finance management.
Citing constitutional and international obligations, SERAP maintained that Section 15(5) of the Constitution mandates public institutions to abolish corrupt practices, while Article 26 of the United Nations Convention against Corruption, ratified by Nigeria, requires effective and dissuasive sanctions in cases of grand corruption.
As of the time of filing this report, no date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
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