Former Rivers Sole Administrator Ibas Faces Scrutiny Over N28b CCTV Project

Former Rivers Sole Administrator Ibas Faces Scrutiny Over N28b CCTV Project

Former Rivers State sole administrator, Ibok-Ete Ibas, is facing growing scrutiny over more than N302 billion spent during his six-month tenure, with particular focus on a N28 billion CCTV project at Government House that reportedly saw no actual expenditure.

The revelations emerged in a case before the Rivers State High Court, where the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) is challenging the transparency of funds managed under Ibas’ administration, which oversaw the state between March and August 2025 during emergency rule.

In a counter-affidavit, the state’s Accountant-General and Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning stated that Rivers State received over N253.48 billion from federal allocations and an additional N44.87 billion in internally generated revenue during the period, with total spending recorded at N302.35 billion.

Court documents detail repeated large transfers linked to Government House, including payments ranging from N1.8 million to N4.27 billion, with several recurring transactions of up to N900 million. A single N4.27 billion transfer was recorded in August, the final full month of Ibas’ tenure.

Breakdowns indicate that N112.41 billion went to salaries, pensions, and overheads, while N163.44 billion was disbursed to ministries, departments, and agencies. Loan servicing accounted for N26.5 billion, with nearly N492 million spent on bank charges.

Despite the N28 billion allocation for the Government House CCTV project, filings indicate no evidence of funds being spent on the initiative.

Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP deputy director, said the organisation is carefully reviewing the disclosures to determine compliance with its information requests.

“Our teams are analysing the spending project-by-project and will decide our next steps,” he said.

The case, filed in October 2025 under the Freedom of Information Act, forms part of ongoing efforts to hold Ibas’ administration accountable for public funds during the emergency period. The matter has been adjourned until May 19 for further hearing.