[OBSERVERS.FRANCE24] Hundreds of protesters descended on Nigeria's justice ministry in Abuja on Thursday after a court handed down a strangely lenient sentence to an official convicted of embezzlement. The former boss of Nigeria's police pension fund, John Yakubu Yusufu, was convicted Monday with stealing 23.3 billion Nigerian naira (about 110 million euros) meant for retired police officers. A judge gave him the choice of either spending two years in jail or paying 750,000 naira (about 3,500 euros). Unsurprisingly, he chose the latter option.Even in a country where corruption is seen as rather commonplace -- Nigeria ranks 139th out of 174 countries in Transparency International's corruption perceptions index -- the sentence has shocked many. Anti-corruption activists joined up with youth organisations to protest against what they consider an outrageous decision on the part of the case's judge. Demonstrators chanted and booed at the justice ministry's gates until representatives were allowed in to drop off a petition. They demanded that not only Yusufu's case be re-tried, but also that the judge be investigated and that vast reforms be undertaken to improve the country's judicial system.
In a surprising twist of events, Yusufu was remanded to prison on Wednesday evening on separate charges involving the alleged embezzlement of another 289 million naira (about 1.3 million euros) from the police pension fund. Anti-corruption campaigners say their protest may well have inspired this move. Yusufu has pleaded not guilty to these new charges.