{"id":122360,"date":"2025-09-18T19:58:50","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T18:58:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=122360"},"modified":"2025-09-18T19:58:50","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T18:58:50","slug":"emergency-rule-why-efcc-may-move-against-ibas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/emergency-rule-why-efcc-may-move-against-ibas\/","title":{"rendered":"Emergency Rule: Why EFCC May Move Against Ibas"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By Lizzy Chirkpi<\/div>\n
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As Rivers State returns to democratic governance under Governor Siminialayi Fubara, attention is shifting to the six months of emergency rule that placed retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas at the helm as the State Sole Administrator.<\/div>\n
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In Port Harcourt, the state capital and beyond, the big question on the lips of many Nigerians is whether the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will open a probe into how the state\u2019s resources were managed during that turbulent period.<\/div>\n
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The expectation is rooted in history and circumstance. On March 18, 2025, President Bola Tinubu declared a six-month emergency rule in Rivers, citing the breakdown of relations between Governor Fubara and the House of Assembly, as well as threats to public order in the Niger Delta.<\/div>\n
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The measure culminated in the suspension of both the governor and the legislature, placing Ibas in charge with powers to run the state. With legislative checks removed, every major financial decision of Rivers State passed through the hands of the former Chief of Naval Staff.<\/div>\n
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During this period, the National Assembly passed the Rivers State 2025 appropriation bill with a budget figure of about \u20a61.485 trillion. Ibas defended the spending before federal lawmakers and later justified an adjusted figure that some reports put at \u20a61.846 trillion, attributing the increase to the inclusion of first-quarter expenditures and continuity projects. He explained that allocations went to critical infrastructure, pension and gratuity arrears, job creation initiatives, and security operations.<\/div>\n
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But since his handover in September, voices in the state have grown louder, demanding a closer look at how the funds were handled.<\/div>\n
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The Rivers State House of Assembly, newly restored to its constitutional role, has signaled interest in reviewing the accounts of the emergency period. Civil society groups and political actors have gone further, calling publicly for the EFCC to wade in. Their argument is simple: when a single administrator runs a state without the oversight of an elected assembly, the people deserve a post-mortem audit.<\/div>\n
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The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room is among those calling for accountability. In September 2025, the coalition, alongside other civil society organisations, urged the National Assembly to summon Ibas to give an account of his stewardship during the emergency period. On September 17, 2025, a coalition of 70 CSOs said the call had become necessary, considering that the mandate handed to Ibas after the suspension of Governor Fubara involved direct access to state funds previously seized by the Federal Government.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThis is very important, especially when you consider the fact that funds belonging to Rivers State which were initially seized by the Federal Government were released to the Sole Administrator after he was appointed. There is need for accountability,\u201d the CSOs insisted in a statement marking the 2025 International Day of Democracy. They warned that systemic corruption remains a deep concern for Nigeria\u2019s governance.<\/div>\n
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Local newspapers have also stoked the calls for scrutiny, publishing claims of alleged withdrawals running into tens of billions from local government accounts. Protests by security aides over unpaid entitlements during Ibas\u2019s watch added to the controversies, alongside complaints about hurried appointments and decisions taken on the eve of his departure. Though unproven in court, such allegations fuel public suspicion and strengthen the case for a forensic review.<\/div>\n
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One report alleged that a staggering \u20a627.6 billion was deducted from the accounts of the state\u2019s 23 local government councils. According to local officials, each council had \u20a61 billion withdrawn from its August 2025 allocation, while an earlier \u20a6200 million was also taken from council coffers at Ibas\u2019s directive.<\/div>\n
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These withdrawals, critics allege, came in addition to other unexplained deductions, heavy spending, and controversial transactions running into billions of naira from the state\u2019s treasury. Rivers residents have repeatedly demanded that Ibas account for the nearly \u20a6300 billion reportedly handed over by suspended Governor Fubara in March, as well as disclose total revenues received during his tenure, including federal allocations, 13 percent oil derivation funds, internally generated revenue, and foreign and local donations.<\/div>\n
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Human rights groups and political voices are already calling on anti-graft bodies to intervene. Petitions have reportedly been submitted to the EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), alleging \u201cfinancial recklessness and lack of accountability.\u201d<\/div>\n
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The Niger Delta Advocates for Good Governance (NDAGG), a prominent pressure group, issued a statement in Port Harcourt accusing Ibas of coming \u201con a mission to milk Rivers dry.\u201d Its spokesperson, Chief Honest Nwenenda Woke, described his administration as marked by \u201cdangerous financial mismanagement and brazen looting of local government funds.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Woke alleged that in July 2025, Ibas personally directed deductions of more than \u20a6200 million from each of the 23 local councils without providing explanations. He further claimed that at the September 9 meeting of the Joint Accounts Allocation Committee (JAAC) in Port Harcourt, the sole administrator ordered another \u20a61 billion deduction per council, ostensibly for pension settlements.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWhat is most troubling,\u201d Woke said, \u201cis the desperation to drain the state\u2019s finances while boasting about saving \u20a65 billion from the wage bill in August. His credibility is in doubt, because apart from paying salaries, Rivers people have not seen commensurate performance for the billions spent.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Other voices have joined the call for scrutiny. Chief Opunabo Inko-Tariah, publisher and former aide to ex-Governor Nyesom Wike, and Comrade Charles Jaja, a human rights activist, have separately demanded an independent probe into Ibas\u2019s financial stewardship. Both cited a lack of transparency and accountability in the management of state funds.<\/div>\n
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NDAGG also confirmed that it has petitioned its international partners and foreign governments, seeking travel bans and restrictions on Ibas until he is cleared of the allegations. The group insists that without such measures, the outgoing sole administrator could evade justice.<\/div>\n
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To many observers, the logic is straightforward: if emergency rule required bypassing normal democratic processes, then accountability must follow now that democracy is back. The EFCC or other oversight bodies, they argue, must examine bank records, procurement files, payrolls, and the reconciliation of budget figures with actual spending. The goal, they insist, is not witch-hunting, but restoring public confidence that Rivers\u2019 money was spent lawfully and transparently.<\/div>\n
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For now, there is no official word from the EFCC on whether an investigation is imminent. But as pressure mounts from the Assembly, civic groups, and the general public, few doubt that the matter will soon find its way onto the desks of Nigeria\u2019s anti-graft agencies. For Ibas, whose tenure as administrator was born of crisis, the coming months may determine whether he leaves behind a reputation for stability or a legacy mired in suspicion.<\/div>\n
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