ICPC takes decision on petition seeking probe of Ex-Rivers  administrator, Ibas

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has acknowledged receiving a petition requesting an investigation into the financial management of federal allocations to Rivers State during the tenure of its former Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd.).

The petition was submitted by lawyer and rights activist, Deji Adeyanju, just days after Ibas concluded his six-month stint in office on September 18.

Confirming the development in Abuja on Thursday, ICPC spokesperson Demola Bakare said the petition had already been passed on to the commission’s legal department for scrutiny.

“Yes, we have received the petition and will look at its merit. It has a process. We receive it at the registry, the chairman gets it, and he forwards it for a legal opinion,” Bakare stated.

Adeyanju, in his petition dated September 23, 2025, titled “Petition for the investigation into the financial expenditure of Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (retd.), former Sole Administrator of Rivers State,” urged the anti-graft agency to urgently examine how public funds were utilised during Ibas’s administration from March 18 to September 17, 2025.

Citing figures from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, Adeyanju alleged that Rivers received N283.3bn in federal allocations within the period, excluding internally generated revenue. He broke down the inflows to include N36.6bn in withheld local government allocations for January and February 2025, and N246.7bn released as state and local government allocations between March and June.

Despite the huge sums, Adeyanju argued that there was little visible development to show for the funds.“Apart from the cosmetic renovation and painting of the Rivers State House of Assembly complex, the people of Rivers State saw no tangible projects or developmental efforts to justify the expenditure of such colossal sums,” the petition read.

The activist also accused Ibas of breaching transparency requirements.“Disturbingly, the administration under Ibas failed to publish the mandatory budget performance reports for the second quarter of 2025. Equally troubling are recent statements credited to him, dismissing the authority of the Rivers State House of Assembly to probe his financial conduct. He insists that because he was appointed by the President and supervised by the National Assembly, he was only answerable to the President and the National Assembly,” Adeyanju alleged.

He urged the ICPC to probe possible financial mismanagement or abuse of office and ensure accountability.“We trust in the commission’s mandate and commitment to combating corruption and safeguarding public resources, and we respectfully urge you to give this petition urgent attention,” he added.

Meanwhile, Ibas was at the Presidential Villa last Wednesday, where he met with President Bola Tinubu behind closed doors. Also present were the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, and the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun.

The meeting came three days after Ibas dismissed calls from the Rivers State House of Assembly for a probe of his administration. The Presidency has yet to release any official statement regarding the outcome of the discussion.

(PUNCH)