The National Coalition of Civil Society Organizations on Monday urged President Bola Tinubu to revisit cases of corruption that have not been prosecuted to a logical conclusion.
The group, while congratulating the president, noted that steps taken by the Tinubu administration in addressing corruption and financial crimes will give a sense of direction to where the country is headed for the next four years.
They specifically made reference to former Minister of Aviation, Senator Stella Adaeze Oduah’s charges.
Oduah, senator who represented Anambra north in the 9th senate, is standing trial alongside eight others on a 25-count charge bordering on alleged conspiracy, money laundering, and maintaining anonymous bank accounts with First Bank Plc.
Comrade Femi Osabinu, National Secretary of the group, at a press briefing in Abuja, said: “As a not-for-profit nongovernmental organization comprised of patriotic Nigerians, our unremitting quest to see that all public funds appropriated for the procurement of dividends of democracy to the benefit of the teeming citizenry are judiciously applied and accounted for, compels us not to keep mute in the face of this brazen alleged theft of our collective wealth.
“We are therefore of the informed view that this orchestrated drama that has played out for the past nearly three years in the Federal High Court Abuja, on the corruption case before Justice Ekwo involving Sen. Oduah and others, is a monumental disgrace and a slap on the face of the anti-corruption crusade of the APC-led Federal Government, as well as a huge dent on the image of the judiciary. Let’s bear in mind that the international community; the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the global body of anti-corruption agencies are keenly watching to see how the matter is panning out.”
Among other prayers, he called on President Tinubu to, “direct the EFCC to ensure that Sen. Stella Oduah is properly arraigned before for the prompt determination of the charges leveled against her by the Federal Government.
“That Mr. President should cause an independent investigation into the reason(s) Senator Stella Oduah and her co-defendants have not been arraigned for almost 30 months after the EFCC had concluded its investigations and filed the case of conspiracy, money laundering and maintaining anonymous bank accounts against them at the Federal High Court, Abuja.”