The House of Representatives in a resolution on Wednesday, March 10, directed the Federal Government to suspend its planned expenditure of £4.2 million public funds repatriated to Nigeria from the United Kingdom, and hand the funds over to Delta State. The resolution followed a motion of urgent public importance jointly sponsored by the ten legislators from Delta State, led by the Minority Leader of the House, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu in which they insisted that the funds were embezzled from Delta State and as such, should be returned to the State and used for infrastructural development. The Federal Government had earmarked the funds which were embezzled by a former governor of Delta State, James Ibori and returned to Nigeria, for the construction of Abuja-Kano expressway, Lagos-Ibadan expressway and the second Niger Bridge.
Other observers and stakeholders have lent their voices to the issue, urging the Federal Government to return the money to the Delta State government, with some threatening lawsuit against the Federal Government. However, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami in a television interview, stated that the law breached by former Governor Ibori, was a federal law and that the repatriation of the funds was facilitated by national governments; implying that the Federal Government, and not the Delta State government, is entitled to the funds.