Lawbreakers on the Bench: Supreme Court Fails to Account for ₦10.86 Billion in Public Funds, Stonewalls Auditors

NewsNGR

A sweeping financial accountability crisis has been uncovered at the Supreme Court of Nigeria, revealing massive undocumented expenditures and a blatant disregard for established statutory audit regulations. 

According to findings from ongoing financial investigations, the nation’s highest court failed to account for over ₦10.86 billion in public funds across two major financial breaches, raising urgent questions about internal controls and the safeguarding of taxpayer money within the judiciary.

In the largest single breach encountered during the financial checks, authorities at the Supreme Court completely withheld 124 payment vouchers totaling ₦10,223,565,485.70 from official examination. These payments, reportedly disbursed to various beneficiaries, were never presented for audit scrutiny, leaving a massive void in the court’s financial records.

By withholding these critical documents, the Supreme Court directly contravened Section 85(2) of the 1999 Constitution and Paragraph 601 of the Financial Regulations 2009, both of which mandate that all public financial transactions remain open to official inspection. 

Auditors warn that the refusal to present these vouchers creates severe risks, including the possibility that public funds were funneled into unapproved expenditures, paid out for unexecuted contracts, or outrightly diverted.

Compoundings these irregularities is a separate discovery involving ₦645,000,000.00 appropriated and released in 2017 for the procurement of broadcasting equipment meant to upgrade the apex court’s media capabilities. 

An extensive review of transactions conducted during the tenure of then-Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, revealed a total absence of supporting documentation to verify how the money was utilized.

Investigators found zero trace of standard accounting records—including payment vouchers, vote book entries, store receipt vouchers, store ledgers, or supplier invoices. Without this documentation, it is impossible to track the trajectory of the funds or verify whether any broadcasting equipment was ever purchased, pointing toward potential misapplication of funds and a significant loss of government resources.

Despite the gravity of these findings, efforts to obtain an official explanation from the management of the Supreme Court have proved abortive, with the institution failing to comment on the missing funds or the withheld vouchers.

The revelations have ignited widespread concern among governance stakeholders and civil society, who are demanding a comprehensive probe into the apex court’s financial operations. Critics emphasize that an institution entrusted with interpreting and upholding the law must be held to the highest standards of financial transparency, accountability, and strict regulatory oversight.

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