Members
of the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders protesting at the Independent
Corrupt Practices and other-Related Offences Commission office in Ikoyi,
Lagos ... on Wednesday.
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.
PUNCH
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