Plateau Killings: HURIWA Demands Accountability for N36.18bn Security Votes

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has questioned the deployment of billions of naira allocated as security votes by the Plateau State Government, saying the continued killings across the state raise concerns about the effectiveness and accountability of the spending.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, September 22, HURIWA said Plateau released N18.9 billion in security votes in 2024 and another N17.28 billion between January and September 2025, citing a Saturday PUNCH analysis of state budget implementation reports.

The rights group said the figures should be examined against the backdrop of renewed attacks in parts of Plateau, where communities have continued to experience killings despite security operations.

Recent reports illustrate the continuing challenge. At least 13 people were killed in separate attacks in Jos South, Mangu and Riyom in September, while another attack on a vegetable market in Mangu on September 18 left three people dead, according to local reports.

HURIWA stressed that its concern was not simply the amount being spent, but whether the expenditure was producing measurable improvements in the protection of lives and property.

The organisation asked Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang to explain how the security funds had been deployed and what results had been achieved.

HURIWA, however, said it was not accusing the Plateau State Government of diverting or misappropriating the funds. Rather, it argued that the scale of public spending created an obligation for the government to provide citizens with a broad account of how the money was used.

“Security votes are intended to assist governors in responding to security emergencies, intelligence gathering and rapid-response operations,” the group said, adding that operational details that could compromise security should remain confidential, but that the government should still be able to account for public resources.

The group’s demand comes amid a wider increase in security-related expenditure by Nigerian states. A Saturday PUNCH analysis found that 10 states; Borno, Plateau, Ondo, Ebonyi, Katsina, Nasarawa, Adamawa, Edo, Bayelsa and Delta, released about N80 billion in security votes in 2024, representing 72.2 per cent of their combined N110.8 billion provision.

During the first nine months of 2025, the same states reportedly released N87.87 billion from a combined provision of N127.36 billion. Based on the spending pattern, the analysis projected that the states could spend about N140 billion in 2026 if the trend continued.

Plateau’s security spending was among the highest recorded in the analysis, with N18.9 billion released in 2024 and N17.28 billion released during the first three quarters of 2025.

The continuing violence has prompted additional security responses. Plateau Governor Mutfwang convened the State Security Council in early September following attacks in Mangu and Riyom, while Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu later visited the state and said the police had made arrests and were working with government agencies and communities to address the violence.

HURIWA called on the Plateau State House of Assembly and other oversight institutions to intensify scrutiny of security expenditure and demand evidence of the impact of the funds.

It also urged the state government to review its security strategy, strengthen intelligence gathering, improve protection for vulnerable communities and ensure that those responsible for attacks are arrested and prosecuted.

The association said citizens needed more than budgetary allocations and security announcements, insisting that the ultimate measure of security spending should be the protection of lives and property.