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TINUBU APPOINTS RETIRED CHIEF OF NAVAL STAFF IBAS AS RIVERS STATE ADMINISTRATOR AMID CORRUPTION ALLEGATIONS
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CapitalTimesNews / 1 month
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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas, a retired Chief of Naval Staff, as the administrator of Rivers State, following the declaration of a state of emergency in the state. However, Ibas’s appointment has raised eyebrows due to allegations of corruption and victimization made against him by a former naval officer, Captain Emmanuel Ekpe. In an open letter to former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2022, Ekpe accused Ibas of corruption and victimization, stating that he was repeatedly denied promotion and eventually forced into retirement after exposing corrupt practices in the Navy. “Using myself as a case study. I was repeatedly victimised by the former Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ette Ekwe Ibas, for more than 20 years,” Ekpe wrote. Ekpe’s allegations against Ibas date back to 1996 when he reported a case of fraud against Ibas, who was then the Executive Officer of NNS AMBE. Ekpe claimed that Ibas retaliated against him, denying him promotion and eventually placing him on the National Security Watchlist. “The former CNS was adamant on punishing me for exposing his corrupt behaviour. And so despite the fact that I had repeatedly met all the criteria for promotion, I along with so many others were denied promotion on frivolous grounds,” Ekpe stated. Ibas’s appointment as Rivers State administrator has raised concerns about the president’s commitment to zero tolerance for corruption. Ekpe’s letter to Buhari was never addressed, and it remains to be seen how Tinubu’s administration will respond to these allegations.
