Coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) working on anti-corruption, transparency and good governance in Nigeria has called on the Federal Government to ensure the full recovery of N4.9 billion allegedly misappropriated by a former Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah.

The coalition made the call following reports from the proceedings at the Federal High Court in Abuja, indicating that the former minister might be exploring a refund arrangement as part of a possible plea bargain in the ongoing prosecution.

Reacting in a joint statement, the groups warned that any settlement that would allow the refund of only a portion of the funds allegedly involved would undermine justice and weaken Nigeria’s anti-corruption efforts.

The statement was jointly endorsed by the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre); African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD); African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL); Amnesty International Nigeria; BudgIT Foundation; Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD); Centre for Democratic Research and Training (CRDDERT); Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), among others.

According to the organisations, though plea bargaining is recognised under the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, such legal provisions must not become a mechanism for politically exposed persons to escape full accountability.