Port Harcourt, Nigeria — The Rivers State government has disclosed how former sole administrator Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd) allegedly spent more than ₦302 billion in just six months during the state’s emergency rule.
The revelations came in a counter-affidavit filed at the High Court of Rivers State, Port Harcourt, in response to a Freedom of Information lawsuit brought by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).
The case, numbered PHC/4153/CS/2025, is pending before Justice S.H. Aprioku.
According to documents submitted by the Accountant-General and the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Rivers State received ₦253.48 billion in FAAC allocations and an additional ₦44.87 billion in other receipts between March and August 2025.
Exhibits filed in court show expenditures exceeding ₦302.35 billion during the same period.
Breakdown of the spending includes: ₦112.41 billion on salaries, pensions, and overheads, ₦163.44 billion allocated to ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), with ₦106 billion disbursed in August alone, ₦26.5 billion on loan servicing and bank charges, and multiple transfers to Government House, including a single ₦4.27 billion transaction in August
SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare confirmed the organisation is reviewing the 49-page exhibits, which include bank statements and government house estimates.
“Our teams are analysing the spending project-by-project and will decide whether further legal steps are necessary,” he said.
The lawsuit is seeking judicial determination on whether SERAP is entitled to full access to the spending records under the Nigerian Constitution and the Freedom of Information Act.
The matter has been adjourned to May 19, 2026, for further hearing.
#Rivers State #NigeriaPolitics #SERAP #Transparency #Accountability #IbokEteIbas #FAAC #PublicFunds #PortHarcourt #Governance
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