Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi
West) was last night confined to a hospital in Abuja where he was admitted
after he attempted to escape from police custody.
Melaye was stopped from
travelling to Morocco on Monday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja,
because “he is on the wanted list”.
A police contingent
thereafter laid a siege to his residence.
Yesterday he surrendered
himself to the police whose men took him in their van and were heading for
Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, where the senator is due to face criminal
charges for being in possession of firearms illegally.
The police said Melaye
attempted to escape by jumping out of the vehicle through the window after some
hoodlums in two Toyota Hilux vehicles blocked the vehicle conveying the senator
to Kogi State.
The police added that the
senator was rescued from policemen by the hoodlums and taken to an unknown
destination.
Police spokesman Jimoh
Moshood, in a statement, said: “At about 1200Hrs of today (Tuesday) Sen. Dino
Melaye while in lawful custody of the Nigeria Police Force and being taken for
arraignment in Federal High Court, Lokoja from Abuja, escaped from lawful
custody when hoodlums and miscreants in two Toyota Hilux Vehicles blocked the
police vehicle conveying Senator Dino Melaye around Area 1 Roundabout, Abuja.
“In the process, the
senator jumped out of the police vehicle through the window and was rescued
from the policemen by hoodlums and miscreants to an unknown destination.
“The Police team reinforced
and trailed Senator Dino Melaye to Zankli Hospital, Abuja where he was
re-arrested.”
But the senator’s aide
denied the police account, saying “nothing could be farther from the truth”.
Melaye’s Special Adviser
Gideon Ayodele said ”today’s incident was a last resort by Senator Dino Melaye
in order to foil attempt to kidnap him and kill him by agents of Kogi State
governor in connivance with the police”. But he did not explain the “incident”.
Ayodele’s statement
entitled “Today’s Incident Involving Senator Dino Melaye: A last resort” said:
“Sequel to the avalanche of calls by well-meaning Nigerians and supporters of
Senator Dino Melaye for enquiries about the well-being and safety of the senator
and against the backdrop of baseless rumours being spread on the social media,
we are constrained to make the record straight as follows:
“Earlier in the morning,
Senator Dino Melaye as a law-abiding citizen voluntarily submitted himself to
the operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) who had laid siege to
his private residence since around 3.35pm of Monday, April 23, 2018.
“He, along with his lawyers
and personal aides, was driven in his private car to the SARS office in Guzape
District of Abuja, sandwiched among the numerous police vehicles earlier
deployed to his house.
“For the avoidance of
doubt, he had never evaded police invitation before now because there was none
extended to him in the first place. Rather, what the Police FPRO, Mr. Jimoh
Moshood, had been doing was to summon the senator through media briefings, a
practice which is unconventional.
“But given the media hype
the whole saga had generated, especially his unwarranted travails in the hands
of Immigration officials at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja
on Monday, April 23 and the attendant but dramatic police siege to his private
residence thereafter, where family members and political associates were
subjected to traumatic experience for hours, it became necessary for Senator
Dino Melaye to end the drama, hence his choice of appearing before the police
today (yesterday).
“Later on they moved to
take him to Lokoja, Kogi State. The public will vividly recall that this same
case involving Senator Dino Melaye had already been transferred to Abuja by the
Chief Justice of the Federal High Court after Senator Melaye expressed worry
about his safety in Lokoja. Now, the question is, why will they want to
forcefully take him to Lokoja? The Senator believes they are doing the Kogi
Governor’s bidding in order to assassinate him.
“Contrary to online reports
about jumping out of a moving police vehicle; Nothing could be farther from the
truth as such insinuation is practically impossible for a man saddled between
gun-wielding policemen. Today’s incident was a last resort by Senator Dino
Melaye in order to foil attempt to kidnap him and kill him by agents of Kogi
State governor in connivance with the police.”
In Lokoja, Police spokesman
told reporters that Melaye was in custody in Abuja to be charged to court as
soon as investigation was concluded.
He added that “The Police
woud continue to sustain the rule of law and maintain law and order throughout
the country”.
He recalled that Melaye was
declared wanted by the police, following his alleged failure to answer to
police invitation to answer allegations made against him by two suspected
criminals, Kabiru Saidu a.k.a Osama and Nuhu Salisu a.k.a Small, who were
earlier paraded in Lokoja.
The Nation reports that
they had allegedly confessed to have been working as political thugs for Alhaji
Mohammed Audu who allegedly invited them to Abuja, where they were introduced
to Melaye in December, 2017.
They also allegedly
confessed that the senator handed over a bag containing one AK47 rifle, two
Pump Action guns and N430,000.00 to them.
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