He scored in what was to be his final game of the season on 25 April, netting a 25-yard shot, the only goal of the game as Walsall overcame Milton Keynes Dons. He limped off after 71 minutes with a hamstring injury, prematurely ending his season. He made 43 appearances and scored eleven times across all competitions for the club. With Ibehre and several other Walsall players out-of-contract, manager Chris Hutchings handed his players an ultimatum to sign a renewed contract by mid-June or risk having their offers withdrawn. On 9 June, it was reported that Ibehre had rejected a new deal to remain at the Bescot Stadium and instead join Milton Keynes Dons. Having impressed Milton Keynes Dons manager Roberto Di Matteo with his ability, Ibehre signed for the club on a two-year deal on 11 June 2009. He had effectively scored the goal in his final fixture of the 2008–09 season that ended the Dons promotion hopes. Ibehre admitted the temptation of a new challenge convinced him to make the switch. Ibehre began the 2009–10 season on 15 August as a substitute for Danny Woodards in the Dons 0–0 draw with Swindon at the County Ground. He grabbed his first goal for the club in the following game on 18 August against Tranmere Rovers during a 1–0 win. Following this however, he made just 10 appearances between August and December, scoring once and making only three starts, and so was made available for loan. Fellow League One club Southend United snapped up Ibehre on loan on 27 November 2009 for a one-month period. This meant that he would be available for the club's next four games in the run up to Christmas. Ibehre was reunited with his youth development officer from Leyton Orient, Paul Brush, who was assistant manager for Southend at the time. He made his debut for the Shrimpers in their 3–0 home defeat to Norwich City on 1 December, playing the full 90 minutes. He also appeared in the 1–0 defeat to Charlton Athletic at the Valley on 5 December and the 3–2 win over Hartlepool United on 12 December. In his final game of his loan spell against Exeter City on 19 December at St James Park, Ibehre received only the second red card of his career when he was sent off for clashing with Grecians defender Richard Duffy. This handed him a three-match suspension and ended his loan spell.