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.