For leading a peaceful protest demanding that President Goodluck Jonathan should sack Stella Oduah, embattled Minister of Aviation, Dino Melaye was on Wednesday arrested by the police in Abuja
Melaye, a former member of the House of Representatives and Executive Director, Anti-Corruption Network (ECN), led pro-democracy activists on a protest on the streets of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
The ECN Executive Director had while addressing the protesters lamented that such a whopping amount- N225 million was spent to purchase two cars at a time many Nigerians are going to bed hungry.
He also insisted that there was need for the Presidency to investigate the matter since the House of Representatives has said openly that the money spent on the cars was not budgeted for in the 2013 appropriation act.
Melaye had told the protesters, “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.”
Interestingly, another group also staged a protest around the same area, Federal Secretariat where the Melaye group also staged protest.
However, drama unfolded when police led by an Assistant Commissioner of Police in the FCT, Sunday Olukoya, stopped the bus conveying the anti-Oduah group after the protest and arrested the leader, Melaye.
