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SERAP demands Akpabio, Abbas account for alleged ₦18.6bn NASS project scandal
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas to provide a detailed explanation regarding the alleged disappearance of ₦18.6 billion meant for the National Assembly Service Commission Office Complex project.
In a statement issued on Sunday and signed by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation referenced the 2022 audit report released by the Auditor-General of the Federation, which raised serious concerns about how the project funds were handled.
READ ALSO: SERAP demands govs, Wike reveal spending of ₦14trn subsidy savings
SERAP called on both leaders of the National Assembly to publicly reveal the identity of the “fictitious construction company” that reportedly received the contract funds, along with details of the company’s ownership, shareholders, and registered address.
According to the audit report cited by SERAP, the contract was awarded without adhering to due process, including the absence of a needs assessment, advertisement, or competitive bidding.
“Both contracts were reportedly awarded without any approval by the Federal Executive Council and without a Bureau of Public Procurement’s Certificate of No Objection,” the group stated.
The watchdog also demanded answers over “the inflation of the contract by ₦6.9 billion for the conversion of the roof garden to office space,” noting that such an upward review was made without proper authorization.
The Auditor-General’s 2022 report, released on 9 September 2025, revealed that the National Assembly Service Commission allegedly disbursed ₦11.6 billion to an unidentified company over a 24-month period. The document further stated that no Bill of Quantity was priced, and no valid contract agreement existed before payment was made.
The report warned that the total ₦18.6 billion allocated for the project “may be missing,” and called for immediate accountability.
In a letter dated October 18, 2025, SERAP described the findings as “grim allegations” suggesting “grave violations of public trust and the Nigerian Constitution.”
“The National Assembly can only perform its oversight and anti-corruption roles effectively if it demonstrates exemplary leadership,” the organisation said. It added that transparency in addressing the allegations would strengthen public confidence in the legislature.
SERAP gave Akpabio and Abbas seven days to respond and take corrective steps or face legal action.
“We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within seven days,” the statement read. “If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions to compel compliance.”
The group also urged both presiding officers to refer the matter to anti-corruption agencies for investigation and recovery of any misused funds, warning that mismanagement of public resources “reflects a continuing failure to uphold transparency and accountability.”
It further noted that corruption undermines citizens’ access to basic services and perpetuates poverty.
Citing Sections 13, 15(5), and 16 of the 1999 Constitution, SERAP reminded the legislature of its duty to promote good governance, combat corruption, and enhance citizens’ welfare.
The group also pointed to Nigeria’s commitments under the United Nations Convention against Corruption, particularly Articles 5 and 9, which mandate proper management of public affairs and finances.
The echoes of the drums rolled out to celebrate the rescue of the 44 teachers and students, kidnapped from some schools in Oyo State, after 56 days in the bush, would surely be disrupted abruptly, with the divergent echoes of a fresh abduction, this time coming from Kogi State.
Reports indicate that the gunmen, struck on Tuesday at the Government Secondary School, Odo-Ekina, in Dekina Local Government Area of the state, abducting four students, the school principal and a National Examinations Council (NECO) ad hoc staff member.
Authorities of the Kogi State Police Command, who immediately unleashed their operatives in hot pursuit of the abductors, said the attack occurred at about 5:25 p.m. while the students were writing their NECO examination.
Saliu Oyiza Afusat, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) and spokesman of the command, said a combined team of police personnel and other security agencies has launched a search-and-rescue operation following the incident.
Informing that one of the students was actually rescued immediately, she said efforts were ongoing to secure the release of the remaining victims and apprehend the attackers, adding that Naziru Bello Kankarofi, the state Commissioner of Police, alongside the Brigade Commander and the State Security Adviser to the Governor, Commodore Jerry Omodara (Rtd), were already on the way to the scene for an on-the-spot assessment.
Oil prices are expected to go down now with the announcement of Donald Trump, US President that he will no longer impose a 20 percent “safe passage” fee on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The POTUS, hinged his reversal of the decision on the intervention from some Gulf countries, who pleaded with him not to toe the line due to the massive economic impact the decision would make on the region.
Indeed, oil prices had shot up immediately Trump announced the new levy on Monday while declaring the US ‘the guardians of the Hormuz strait,’ a measure which he said was to pay for the cost of guarding the volatile area in order keep supply of oil flowing.
Reports said that Gulf allies of the US worked frantically to get Trump on the phone in time to talk him out of the idea altogether, while a flurry of appeals came from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar.
In response, the POTUS, posting on his Truth Social platform, wrote: “Based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership, I have decided to replace the 20% United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States.”
Trump, who said the investments would be “MASSIVE but, at the same time, extraordinarily good for them, and their future,” added that the deals would see factories, plants, and equipment pour into the US at “Historic levels.”
The Gulf nations have committed to invest trillions of dollars in the US, though it remains unclear how much of that they will actually spend over the next several years.
Meanwhile, the US continues to bomb Iran in what appears to be a resumption of active conflict between both countries, despite an ongoing roadmap to end the conflict.
Reports say operatives of the Osun State Police Command, and those of the Department of State Services (DSS) had tracking the trail of Adeniyi Adeyemi, controversial Director General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), for weeks, before he was eventually pulled out of his hole on Tuesday.
However, the duo, were said to have pulled back after failing to track him through his mobile phones, which he had reportedly switched off for about two days, making it difficult to locate him, leaving the stage for the members of the Police Intelligence Response Team (PI-RT) led by Moses Lohor, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP).
Lohor, said to have previously served as the Commander of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of Osun State, and reported to have been involved in high-profile security operations and controversies, after taken over fielded his men to pick up signals from their well-oiled signal networks.
Regarded by many Osun residents as one of the key security officers who contributed significantly to the peace and stability enjoyed in Ilesa and other parts of the state during his tenure, he was said to have relied on his contacts before his transfer out of the state, said to have raised concerns from the public about the security situation he would be leaving behind.
His exit from the state was said to be hinged on an incident in 2024, in which he allegedly shot one Iyanda Alowonle, then Chairman of Osun State Motor Transport System, in the stomach at the police station in the state prompting an order for his arrest by then Inspector General of Police (IGP).
His effort was said to have paid off when he successfully tracked down the controversial PFIPC, boss, who was seen on Tuesday evening, in a shot video on social media undergoing interrogation, and eventually handed him over to Ibrahim Gotan, Commissioner of Police in the state.
The PUNCH quoted one of the sources as saying: “The arrest (of Adeyemi) took place on Tuesday morning by the IRT squad, who immediately moved him to Abuja. After he was arrested, he was taken to Ibadan and from there to Abuja.”
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