Aviation Minister Stella Oduah's N255 million
bulletproof vehicles.
One, an anti-corruption organisation, called
for Ms Oduah's resignation. The other
confronted anti-Oduah protesters, snatching
their placards and shouting that the minister
should keep her job.
The amoured vehicles were bought by the
Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered a
probe of the transaction. The order follows
moves by the National Assembly to examine
the controversy.
A former House member, Dino Melaye and
some members of his Anti-Corruption Network
(ACN), who staged the anti-Oduah protest,
were arrested by the police when they picketed
the Ministry of Aviation.
Melaye said the protest was to sensitise
Nigerians to the scandal. His team was
confronted by another group, who protested in
support of Oduah.
Before Melaye was arrested, a skirmish was
averted as the pro-Oduah group attempted to
stop the Melaye group.
Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Assistant Police
Commissioner Sunday Ogunkoya arrested the
former lawmaker after the pro-Oduah and
anti-Oduah protests, which lasted for about 45
minutes.
The police accused Melaye of preventing easy
traffic flow at the Abuja Central Business
District (CBD).
Melaye, was taken away in a white police Hilux
van, marked NPS 21280. There were two other
police officers with the leader of the team.
Melaye asked President Jonathan to ignore the
'neighbour to neighbour' relationship with Ms
Oduah and act on the scandal. He called for
her resignation.
Ogunkoya also ordered the arrest of no fewer
than 37 protesters who were already seated in
a white coaster bus marked FGE 103 XA. The
protesters were in a red uniform with the
inscriptions; "Corruption now with impunity",
"Anti-Corruption Network".
They carried placards with inscriptions, such
as "EFCC-Investigate, ICPC-Prosecute, SSS-
Arrest Stella Oduah, Nigerians demand";
Jonathan Sack Oduah! Stop Corruption for
Once"; Oduah Must Go Now" and "Under
President Obasanjo and Yar'Adua, Oduah
Would Have Been Sacked", among others.
Speaking before he was taken away, Melaye
described the police action as "partial" and
"unlawful". He said his team's protest was
peaceful and meant to persuade the President
to act on the matter.
The protest would have extended to the
Aviation Ministry, as planned, but it was
halted, according to Melaye, because of the
pro-Oduah group who attempted to disrupt it.
The pro-Oduah group insisted that the minister
should remain in office.
They shouted "Oduah Must Stay" and made
several attempts to disrupt Melaye's team's
protest.
They wanted to get rid of the placards and
struggled to destroy banners held by members
of the Anti-Corruption Network.
Describing the opposition as "hoodlums" who
were determined to hijack his protest, Melaye
accused the Police of being impartial. He said
about four vehicles had conveyed the
opposition to the venue of the protest and they
were still there by the time of his arrest but
they were left untouched.
"On police pension scam where their money
was squandered, we had a protest. For the first
time, we went to the Supreme Court to protest
on behalf of the police; they did not arrest us
then.
"Today, Stella Oduah is the ninth minister the
Anti-corruption Network will be after. We are
in court with the minister of justice; we have
protested against the minister of finance in her
premises, minister of Niger Delta in his
premises and today, we came peacefully. We
have completed our protest, As our bus was
about to move, they said one single bus cannot
move. They said we were disrupting traffic,"
Melaye said.
The former lawmaker reminded the police that
their resources were among the tax payers'
money, which was used to purchase the cars,
adding that the huge sum was not included in
the ministry's 2013 budget.
"It is criminal to spend money that is not
budgeted for. The hooligans are there; they are
not arrested. I am a tax payer and I am
supposed to be protected by the police," he
said.
But the National Youth Leader of the Peoples
Democratic Party Coalition 2015, Comrade
Edwin Emily, said the rule of law should be
allowed to prevail in the alleged scandal. He
said appropriate anti-graft organisations
should be allowed to investigate the matter
rather than destroying the minister's image.
"Nigerians must not be deceived. If you are
fighting corruption, come out open. You
cannot mobilize people who do not know what
they are here for.
"I personally was called to mobilise people the
last time and what he promised to give people
was not given. They all disappeared. If you are
fighting corruption, fight so that Nigerians will
applaud you; not to gain more popularity,
tarnishing the name of people. That is unfair.
We should allow the law to take its course,"
Emily said.
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