The police in Abuja this afternoon arrested the Executive Director, Anti-Corruption Network Hon. Dino Melaye for leading a protest calling for the removal of the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah.
Oduah is enmeshed in the scandalous purchase of two armoured BMW limousines.
Melaya, a former member of the House of Representatives, was, after his arrest, whisked away in a police Toyota Hilux van, marked NPS 21280.
The protesters had swooped on the Federal Secretariat at about noon, and saw scores of placard-wielding youngsters chanting anti-Oduah songs.
Interestingly, at the same Federal Secretariat, another group of youth led protests in solidarity with the embattled minister.
Sunday Olukoya, an Assistant Commissioner of Police in the FCT, appeared to turn a blind eye on the pro-Oduah protesters. He and his men however blocked Melaye’s group.
Apparently enraged by the police action, Melaye wondered aloud why the police stopped his supporters.
“When the police pension fund was stolen, we protested on behalf of the police; we were not arrested. When we protested against the theft of fuel subsidy fund, we were not arrested.
“Now that we are protesting the theft of the nation’s money by the action of the minister, who used Nigeria’s money to buy armoured cars in the midst of lack, we are under arrest. The money was not budgeted for, not appropriated.
“The protest affects everybody; the police are also affected because they are taxpayers. I’m also a taxpayer”, he complained.
Oduah had reportedly ordered Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCCA), an agency under her ministry, to buy her the armoured BMW cars for about N255m.