A group, Oke Ndigbo, has threatened to release a list of about 242 public officers in Nigeria, who use about 312 armoured cars, to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC.
Its threat came against the backdrop of the case involving Aviation Minister, Princess Oduah, who was fingered in the purchase of two armoured cars by Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA.
The group lamented the virulence of the attacks on the minister by people from the South-West zone, since the armoured car debacle became public knowledge.
In a statement by its National Co-ordinator, Mr Jude Nworah, the group said that the South-West has 38 percent or 118 of such cars, adding that the first government official in the first four years of this Republic to import armoured Mercedes Benz Jeep into the country was a former governor from the zone.
It said: “We have done our research; we have the figure of the purchase and other details, and even the ones he uses today. Even the National Security Adviser’s office can’t dispute this accurate data. We would do the best of sending this list to the National Assembly, EFCC, ICPC for full public investigation of the involved
persons, including National Assembly members, ministers, governors, security officials, among others. Good enough, with the South-West commanding 38 percent of this compendium, the stench would fester more in the region.
“We have been keen observers of the war that has been on in the aviation sector targeted at Princess Oduah, the Minister of Aviation. It has been an interesting outing, and since we know how the war started and the manner it is being executed, we have at this time resolved to be part of it as a pressure group on the rights of Ndigbo (Oke Ndigbo) in a country divided and polarised at every point by ethnicity and other parochial sentiments.
“For the records, we state that if Stella Oduah was taken up on clear grounds of misconduct, we would not be part of her battle. But because we have deep knowledge of the ethnic bias on this calumny intended to edge her out because she is Igbo, we would join this fight as we have resolved.
“After Oduah’s appearance before the House of Representatives, we have been convinced that the facts are open from her explanation that we should do ourselves the sincere good of separating between Stella Oduah and the Minister for Aviation. The two are not the same.”
