N255m Armoured Cars Scandal: Falana petitions EFCC & NCAA; ...threatens court action

Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, urging it to investigate the aviation minister, Stella Oduah for fraud and extortion.

Falana’s firm said in the petition that the N255 million used by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, to purchase two BMW armoured vehicles for Oduah was acquired illegally. It did not follow due process.

“Apart from the fact that the said threat to the life of the minister was never reported to the police, the extortion of the sum of N255m from the NCAA, a parastatal under the Ministry of Aviation, is fraudulent in every material particular.

“Specifically, the said sum of N255m was not appropriated by the National Assembly while the officials of the NCAA who authorised the expenditure of the sum of N255m exceeded their approval limit,” said Falana’s firm.

Falana’s firm threatened to approach the court and compel the EFCC to investigate Oduah.

Additionally, Mr. Femi Falana, on Monday asked the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority to within seven days release information on the purchase of the two BMW bulletproof cars it bought for the Minister of Aviation, Mrs. Stella Oduah.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria argued that the Managing Director of NCAA, Mr. Fola Akinkuotu, was mandatorily required to release the requested information by the virtue of the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.

In his letter to NCAA, Falana asked the NCAA boss to supply copies of “all the documents relating to the purchase of the cars, including budgetary approval and due process for the entire transaction”.

The letter dated October 21, 2013, was written on behalf of the activist by a lawyer in his law firm, Mr. Adedotun Isola-Osobu.

In the letter, Falana also asked Akinkuotu to supply records of previous purchase of such cars if indeed it was customary for the NCAA to purchase such cars for the aviation minister and visiting foreign dignitaries.

The letter read, “In your press conference at Abuja held on Friday, October 18, 2013 you did admit that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority actually bought the controversial armoured cars and that ‘it is customary to convey the minister and visiting dignitaries in security vehicles whenever they are in Nigeria’.

“In the light of your claim at the said press conference we are compelled to request you to make available to us certified true copies of the documents relating to the purchase of the cars, including budgetary approval and due process for the entire transaction.

“Since you claimed that it is customary to purchase such cars for aviation minister and visiting foreign dignitaries you are also requested to provide the records of previous purchase of armoured cars by the aviation ministry or the NCAA.

“Take notice that you are mandatorily required to supply the requested information within seven days of the receipt of this letter by virtue of the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011.”

The NCAA had admitted to have spent a whopping $1.6m (N255m) on the two cars. The purchase of the cars had since ignited calls for the removal of the aviation minister.

Good call Mr. Falana, we need more of this from our judiciary. Lets all wake EFCC from her gravious slumber!