The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has confirmed receiving a petition demanding a probe into the handling of Rivers State federal allocations by the state’s former Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.).
The petition was filed by civil rights activist and lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, days after Ibas ended his administration of the state on September 18.
ICPC spokesperson, Demola Bakare, on Thursday in Abuja, confirmed receipt of the petition, stating that it had been forwarded to the commission’s legal department for review.
“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,” he said.
Adeyanju’s September 23, 2025, petition was titled “Petition for the investigation into the financial expenditure of Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (retd.), former Sole Administrator of Rivers State.”
Adeyanju urged the anti-graft agency to urgently investigate Ibas’s financial activities during his administration between March 18 and September 17, 2025.
Adeyanju quoted official data from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, that Rivers State under Ibas received a total of N283.3bn, excluding Internally Generated Revenue.
The figure comprised N36.6bn in local government allocations for January and February 2025, which had previously been withheld, and N246.7bn in state and local government allocations between March and June 2025.
The activist alleged that despite these huge allocations, there was little or no evidence of tangible development under Ibas’s administration.
“Aside 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 stated.
“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,” he said.
Adeyanju urged the ICPC to probe how the funds were used, and to hold Ibas accountable if acts of misappropriation or abuse of office, is established.
“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.
Last Wednesday, Ibas was in Aso Rock to meet President Bola Tinubu. The closed-door meeting was also attended by the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, and the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun.
The was three days after Ibas defiantly rejected calls by the Rivers State House of Assembly to probe spending during his six-month rule.
As at time of filing this report, there was no official statement from the Presidency as to the purpose of last Wednesday’s meeting.
