The House of Representatives has moved to stop further payments to Chinese firm ZTE Corporation over the failed $460 million Abuja Closed-Circuit Television project.

At plenary on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, lawmakers adopted a motion directing the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Debt Management Office to halt any outstanding disbursements tied to the loan facility used to fund the project. The House also mandated its Committee on Finance and Public Accounts to investigate the status of the contract, funds released so far, and why the surveillance system remains non-functional more than a decade after installation.

The CCTV project, awarded in 2010 and financed through a $399 million preferential loan from China’s Exim Bank, was meant to install solar-powered cameras and communication systems across Abuja to boost security. Lawmakers noted that despite full or substantial payment to ZTE, most of the cameras never worked and the command-and-control centres were not operational.

Rep. Ahmed Jaha, who sponsored the motion, said continuing to service a loan for a project that failed to deliver value would be a loss to taxpayers. He asked that ZTE be held accountable and that Nigeria should seek recovery of funds already paid.

The House gave the joint committee four weeks to report back and invited the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Police Affairs, Ministry of Communications, and ZTE’s representatives to appear for clarification.