Ahead of the 2023 general elections, a group, the Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC) has called for the prosecution of politicians suspected of being involved in looting of the Nigerian treasury.
OYC made the call in a statement on Wednesday, while calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to launch “Operation Financial Crime Clean-up” in Nigeria before the 2023 polls.
The Igbo group said the best thing Buhari could do for Nigerians if he wishes to leave an indelible mark was to jail all politicians involved in looting the country’s finances before he leaves office.
OYC bemoaned the rate of impunity among political office holders and insisted that criminals ought to pay for their crimes.
The group also likened corrupt politicians guilty of embezzlement and all other forms of misappropriation of public funds amidst impunity to the regular fully-armed criminals who steal without minding the consequences of their crime.
“A government that is devoid of corruption is that government that has outright, zero- tolerance for crime and criminality, irrespective of whose ‘ox is gored,” according to the youth body.
The Igbo youth organization explained that part of the reasons for the agitation by pro-Biafran groups was because Igbo governors looted the local government funds meant for rural development since 1999 and left the people in abject penury.
“Unfortunately, we’re living in a country where few individuals have looted the economic life-span of Nigeria yet they move freely in public places.
The highest youth body in Igbo land also reiterated its appeal to President Buhari to keep a lasting historical legacy by jailing all political criminals in Nigeria.
