Pro-democracy group #OurMumuDonDo today commenced a two-day protest and sit-out to back up its demand for the extradition from the United Kingdom of the former Minister for Petroleum, Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke.
The group wants her to face prosecution in Nigeria following recent mind-boggling allegations against her of corruption and wanton looting of public funds.
The protesters, who converged at the Headquarters of the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), lambasted the government for its weak anti-graft at which, for over two years, they say it has failed to convict anyone facing trial.
They stressed that failure to extradite the former Minister would amount to massaging her ego, noting that what she is being accused of in the UK is a minor offense.
According to Deji Adeyanju, the co-convener of the protest, "Real corruption charge should be brought against her here and it is imperative that she must be tried in Nigeria. Also, they must assist the British Government in whatever form to secure her extradition."
Mr. Adeyanju explained that his group will not be silent on any corruption-related allegation leveled against anybody irrespective of who is involved. He highlighted some recent such allegations as:
One involving the Inspector General of Police (IGP), who is alleged to have collected N120 billion from oil companies and banks.
The pending case against the suspended Secretary to the Government of Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal;
The money that was found in an Ikoyi apartment in Lagos; and
The money found at the Kaduna airport.
He also noted that his group was aware of corruption at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) through foreign exchange hoarding.
"We are asking EFCC to stop waiting for directives before they started investigating people,” he declared, adding that it must swing into action once there are allegations of financial misappropriation against anyone.
Also speaking, the leader of the group, Charles Oputa (aka Charly Boy), pointed out that Nigerian youths have finally woke up from their slumber to be part of the discussion of the war on corruption. Is the war just being fought on the pages of newspapers and why have there been no convictions, he queried.
He said he was at the protest to encourage Nigerian youths to ask questions in holding the government accountable for promises that have been made. He admitted that corruption is killing the country and there is urgent need to salvage the situation before it degenerates.
A Federal High Court has ordered Mrs. Allison-Madueke to permanently forfeit to the Federal Government several luxury properties in several highbrow areas across the country. She has also been linked with several other properties in and around London.
It would be recalled that recently, #OurMumuDonDo staged the #ReturnorResign protest, demanding that President Muhammadu Buhari return to his office or resign.