The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has taken the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, and the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc before the Federal High Court in Abuja over allegations that ₦128 billion in public money is missing or was wrongly used.
The case is based on findings contained in the latest report of the Auditor-General of the Federation, which raised concerns about how funds allocated to the Ministry of Power and NBET were managed. SERAP said the report shows repeated cases where large sums of money could not be properly traced, a situation it believes has worsened Nigeria’s electricity problems.
The lawsuit was filed shortly after Nigeria recorded its first national grid collapse of 2026, an event that left many parts of the country without power and renewed public anger over the state of the electricity sector. SERAP linked such frequent grid failures to weak oversight and poor handling of public resources.
In the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/143/2026, SERAP is asking the court to order the Minister of Power and NBET to give a full account of how the ₦128 billion was spent. The group is also asking that details such as payment dates, beneficiaries, contractors, business names, and addresses be made public.
SERAP further wants the court to compel the disclosure of the names and official positions of all public officers involved in approving or releasing the funds. According to the organisation, Nigerians deserve to know how money meant to improve electricity supply was used, especially as citizens continue to experience blackouts while paying high electricity bills.
The Auditor-General’s report cited several questionable transactions involving the Ministry of Power. These include over ₦4.4 billion transferred to project accounts without proof of how the money was spent, more than ₦95 billion paid to contractors without evidence that projects were executed, and over ₦33 million spent on foreign trips without proper approval.
The report also raised concerns about NBET’s financial practices. It alleged that the agency awarded contracts worth hundreds of millions of naira without following due process, transferred billions of naira into unauthorised accounts, and made large payments without supporting documents. Some funds were reportedly paid for services, supplies, and consultancy work with no proof that the work was done.
In all cases mentioned, the Auditor-General warned that public funds may have been diverted or misused and advised that the money be recovered and returned to the treasury.
SERAP said holding officials accountable would help reduce corruption in the power sector and improve access to steady electricity for Nigerians. No hearing date has been fixed for the case.