Delta’s Erho-Abraka Court Puzzle: ₦50 Million Reported Spent, Judiciary Says No Access To Funds

By TIMOTHY HAGGERTY-NWOKOLO

Budget records clash with judiciary’s account

A ₦50 million magistrate court project in Erho-Abraka, Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State, has raised questions over the accuracy of the state’s public expenditure records.

The 2024 Delta State budget allocated ₦50 million for the construction of the court under the High Court of Justice. The project was listed under code 13100123031100.

However, the state’s fourth-quarter 2024 Budget Implementation Report recorded the project as 100 per cent implemented.

The judiciary has given a sharply different account.

In response to a Freedom of Information request by Tracka, the office of the Chief Judge of Delta State said the allocation was never accessed.

Judiciary says project was never awarded

In a letter dated 8 June 2026, the Chief Registrar, Eloho Okodiya-Onoriose, responded on behalf of the Chief Judge, Tessy Diai.

The judiciary acknowledged that ₦50 million was appropriated for the project. It, however, said no contract was awarded.

According to the response, no payment voucher, fund requisition or withdrawal request was raised against the allocation.

The entire ₦50 million, the judiciary said, remained unaccessed throughout 2024 and afterwards.

It also rejected any suggestion that the money had been spent on the court.

The judiciary described such an assertion as “totally incorrect and misleading”. It added that the allocation eventually elapsed because the project was not awarded within the financial year or subsequently.

Physical inspection raises more questions

Tracka also visited the court premises to assess the reported project.

The inspection reportedly found no evidence of construction or renovation matching the ₦50 million allocation.

Court officials also said they were unaware of the project. The magistrate reportedly told the organisation that the existing courtroom benches were provided by the community.

The condition of the facility further deepened the questions surrounding the budget record.

Parts of the roof were reportedly pulling away, while vegetation had overgrown large sections of the compound.

Quarterly reports tell a different story

Delta’s budget documents show that the project initially recorded no implementation.

The first-quarter 2024 report listed the ₦50 million allocation but showed zero performance. The second-quarter report also recorded zero implementation.

The position remained unchanged in the third quarter.

By the fourth quarter, however, the same project was recorded as fully implemented.

The change means the state’s quarterly records moved from zero implementation to 100 per cent implementation within the year.

That position conflicts with the judiciary’s account that the project was never awarded and that no money was accessed.

The state’s 2024 audited financial documents were also reviewed. However, they did not provide a corresponding capital expenditure line that independently explained the reported ₦50 million expenditure.

A project with a longer history

The Erho-Abraka court project predates the current administration.

Delta allocated ₦25 million for the project in its 2019 budget. A ₦50 million provision appeared in the 2021 budget, although no funding was released between 2021 and 2023, according to the reviewed budget records.

The project was not included in the 2022 budget. However, the 2023 revised budget provided ₦20 million for it.

The ₦50 million allocation returned in 2024.

Yet, despite the repeated budgetary provisions, the Chief Judge’s office says the 2024 allocation was never accessed.

Procurement records offer no clear answer

The state government’s procurement portal was also examined for evidence of the project.

The project was reportedly absent from the portal’s lists of completed, ongoing and new projects.

That absence adds another layer to the dispute.

If the project was genuinely completed, questions arise over the procurement process, contractor, payment records and certification of the work.

If the judiciary’s account is correct and the allocation was never accessed, then the state’s fourth-quarter budget implementation report requires clarification.

Tracka demands reconciliation

Tracka publicly raised the issue after receiving the judiciary’s response.

The organisation questioned how an allocation that was allegedly never accessed could appear as fully implemented in the state’s expenditure report.

It called for the relevant authorities to reconcile the records and establish what happened to the ₦50 million.

Tracka also urged the offices of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to examine the discrepancy.

Government yet to respond

Clarifications were sought from the Delta State Government.

The Commissioner for Information, Charles Aniagwu, reportedly did not respond to calls or a WhatsApp enquiry sent on 18 September and followed up on 19 September.

The enquiry sought clarification on whether the ₦50 million was released, accessed or spent by any government agency, department or contractor.

It also requested details of any contractor, contract and certificate of completion linked to the project.

For now, the conflicting records leave a central question unanswered: how did a project that the judiciary says was never awarded or funded become 100 per cent implemented in Delta State’s 2024 budget performance report?