Anti-corruption protesters want Oduah jailed

Protesters on Wednesday stormed the
Lagos Office of the Independent Corrupt
Practice and Other Related Offences
Commission, requesting that the
embattled Minister of Aviation, Ms Stella
Oduah, be tried and jailed if found
guilty.
The protesters, who stormed the ICPC
office around 10.15am, defied
confrontation by armed policemen who
shot thrice into the air and civil defence
officers to gain entrance into the
premises of the commission.
Chairman of the Coalition Against
Corrupt Leaders, Mr. Debo Adediran,
who spoke on behalf of the protesters,
said that many lives had been lost due
to corruption in the aviation sector.
He said, “The purchase of the
bulletproof cars is outrageous. It is the
ICPC that should deal with anything that
has to do with official corruption. Their
reaction has been that they have not
got a petition to act and that that is why
investigation has not begun. Now we
have submitted a petition, we want
them to act.
“If Oduah is found guilty after the
probe, we want her to go to jail; we
want anybody found culpable to be
prosecuted diligently, we want anybody
found guilty to be adequately punished
and until we get that we will not rest.
“It is saddening that the President who
should set precedence for Nigerians to
follow could be shielding the indicted
and even include them in his entourage
to Israel on holy pilgrimage. It is also
not unlikely that Ms. Oduah is in the
league of Mr. President’s benefactors.
“Though the President has set up a
panel to investigate the allegations, but
it must be noted that most of the time
when President Jonathan sets up his
panels, they are to bury the issues
rather than bending it to justice.”
The protesters, who presented a
petition to the ICPC, prayed that
investigations should be commenced
into the activities of the minister; the
Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority; Nigerian
Airspace Management Agency; Federal
Airports Authority of Nigeria; and other
relevant agencies under the Ministry of
Aviation.
Chief Superintendent of ICPC in Lagos,
Mr. Binga Shintema, who attended to
the protesters, assured them that their
petition would be acted on.