In a case that is likely to intensify calls for greater transparency in the administration of security funds across Nigeria, the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Nigeria’s chapter of Transparency International, has called for a comprehensive investigation into the management of security-related funds in Kogi State after alleging that more than \u20a636.9 billion passed through a state security account within nine months and was subsequently transferred to private companies and individuals under questionable circumstances.<\/p>\n
However, the allegations come at a time when the Kogi State Government has repeatedly highlighted its investments in security infrastructure and operations. Recent state-backed initiatives include the commissioning of a Violent Crime Response Unit headquarters, provision of operational vehicles and security equipment, and joint operations targeting criminal activities across several local government areas. State officials have maintained that security remains a central priority of the administration.<\/p>\n
In a statement released on Monday, CISLAC said its financial intelligence review uncovered transactions involving the Kogi State Security Operation Account between 2025 and 2026. According to the organisation, approximately \u20a623.7 billion was transferred to Real Striker Finance Limited, associated with Mr. Ameh Joseph Erico, the man who created an upset by defeating Senator Jibrin Echocho in the All Progressives Congress (APC) to clinch the senatorial ticket for Kogi East Senatorial District.<\/p>\n
Also, more than \u20a612.5 billion was allegedly disbursed to various individuals and corporate entities without publicly available explanations for the payments.<\/p>\n
Among those named by CISLAC as recipients of funds were Abdullahi Ayisat Omonale, Peter Enehezeyi Ozavize, Dange Security Patrol, and G and T Motors Nigeria Limited. The organisation stressed that its findings raise serious concerns about transparency and accountability in the management of security-related public funds.<\/p>\n
CISLAC Executive Director Auwal Ibrahim Musa, popularly known as Rafsanjani, said the allegations, if independently verified, could point to a significant misuse of resources intended to address insecurity in the state.<\/p>\n
“These allegations, if established through an independent investigation, point to a disturbing pattern of possible misuse of public resources intended for critical security interventions at a time when citizens continue to face severe security challenges,” he said.<\/p>\n
The anti-corruption advocacy group further alleged that Real Striker Finance Limited was established shortly after the election of the current administration and may be linked to politically exposed persons, including a former security adviser under the administration of former Governor Yahaya Bello. CISLAC called for investigators to examine the company’s ownership structure, banking transactions and ultimate beneficiaries.<\/p>\n
The organisation urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) to launch a forensic investigation into all inflows and outflows associated with the account.<\/p>\n
Specifically, CISLAC demanded a full audit of the transactions, recovery of any funds found to have been diverted, prosecution of culpable persons regardless of political affiliation, and nationwide reforms of the security vote system.<\/p>\n
The allegations emerge against a backdrop of continuing national debate over the management of security votes in Nigeria. Security votes, which are discretionary funds allocated to executive offices for security-related interventions, have long attracted criticism from transparency advocates because of limited public disclosure and weak oversight mechanisms.<\/p>\n
In previous reports, CISLAC has argued that the current security vote framework creates opportunities for abuse and has advocated replacing it with more transparent and independently audited security trust funds.<\/p>\n
As of press time, no public statement responding directly to the allegations had been issued by the Kogi State Government, and no anti-corruption agency had announced the commencement or outcome of a formal investigation.<\/p>\n
The allegations remain unproven, and no court or investigative body has made findings of wrongdoing against any of the individuals or entities named by CISLAC.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In a case that is likely to intensify calls for greater transparency in the administration of security funds across Nigeria, the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Nigeria’s chapter of Transparency International, has called for a comprehensive investigation into the management of security-related funds in Kogi State after alleging that more than \u20a636.9 billion passed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":96932,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[759,8420,8421,8422,877],"class_list":["post-99270","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","tag-bello","tag-erico","tag-n37b","tag-real-striker","tag-security"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99270","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=99270"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99270\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":99271,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99270\/revisions\/99271"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/96932"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=99270"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=99270"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=99270"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}