Tension in National Assembly: Dino Melaye kidnapped

The tension in the National Assembly has exacerbated, creating deepening uncertainties in the country’s capital. Senator Dino Melaye, representing Kogi West in the National Assembly, was on Thursday morning said to have been kidnapped by unknown gunmen in Gwagwalada, a suburb of Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.

Senator Ben Bruce, representing Bayelsa East in the National Assembly, busted the news of Melaye’s kidnap on Thursday through his Twitter handle.

 National Daily gathered that Senator Bruce stated that Melaye’s brother, Moses, notified him of the Senator’s kidnap early Thursday morning.

“I have just been informed by Moses Melaye, @dino_melaye’s brother, that Dino has been abducted by unknown persons in a Toyota Sienna that blocked their car and overpowered them on their way to Kogi to answer to Dino’s court case. Let’s be on the watch out. Will keep you updated,” Ben Bruce declared in his tweet @benmurraybruce.

Dino Melaye was on Wednesday granted bail by Justice Slyvanus Oriji of the High Court of the FCT sitting in Apo, Abuja, at the amount N5 million with two sureties in a suit brought before the court by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, on Wednesday, on a six count charge over attempt to commit suicide and escape from police custody.

Part of the counts had read: “That you Senator Dino Melaye of 11 Sangha street Maitama on the 24th of April 2018 within the jurisdiction of this honourable court while being conveyed in a white Police Haice Bus with a Registration Number marked NPF 3354D to lokoja, Kogi State by police officers to be arraigned in court for conspiracy and unlawful possession of firearms in charge number CMCL/145C/2018 filed at the Chief Magistrate Court Lokoja Kogi State intentionally obstructed the police officers from conveying you to lokoja by forcing your way out of the said bus and escaped and thereby committed an offence

“That you Senator Dino Melaye of 11 Sangha street Maitama on the 24th of April 2018 within the jurisdiction of this honourable court while being conveyed in a white Police Haice Bus with a Registration Number marked NPF 3354D to lokoja, Kogi State by police officers to be arraigned in court for conspiracy and unlawful possession of firearms in charge number CMCL/145C/2018 filed at the Chief Magistrate Court Lokoja Kogi State forced your way out of the bus.

“When you were to be rearrested by the same police officer, you threatened to kill yourself and put the police officers in trouble which prevented them from re-arresting you and thereby committed an offence.

“That you Senator Dino Melaye of 11 Sangha street Maitama on the 24th of April 2018 within the jurisdiction of this honourable court while being conveyed in a white Police Haice Bus with a Registration Number marked NPF 3354D to lokoja, Kogi State by police officers to be arraigned in court for conspiracy and unlawful possession of firearms in charge number CMCL/145C/2018 filed at the Chief Maistrate Court Lokoja Kogi State forced your way out of the police bus and escaped by means of White Toyota Hilux with registration number Kaduna MKA 603GY and hereby committed an offence.

“That you Senator Dino Melaye of 11 Sangha street Maitama on the 24th of April 2018 within the jurisdiction of this honourable court while being conveyed in a white Police Haice Bus with a Registration Number marked NPF 3354D to lokoja, Kogi State by police officers to be arraigned in court for conspiracy and unlawful possession ofrge number CMCL/145C/2018 filed at the Chief Maistrate Court Lokoja Kogi State broke with your left elbow the glass on the second window to the last at the left side of the said bus belonging to the Nigerian Police force and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 327 of the penal code law.”

After the defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges read against him, his lawyer, Mike Ozekhome SAN, prayed the court to grant the defendant bail on the same terms of the magistrate court in Wuse Zone 2 Abuja which was actually going on until it was struck out.

Ozekhome further argued that the defendant will not jump bail or flee from justice as he has another matter pending before Lokoja High Court that same Wednesday.

“My lord we are at your mercy to grant him bail. I can assure your Lordship that he will attend his trial because he is also interested in clearing his name in all the court cases,” Ozekhome had said.

The police prosecutor, Dr. Alex Izinyon SAN, stated that he will leave the bail argument to the discretion of the court.

“I urge your lordship to use your discretion to grant bail to the defendant,” Izinyon said.

Justice Oriji ruled that one of the sureties must be a director of the civil service residing in the FCT and must deposit an affidavit of means, warning that that failure to meet up with the bail terms means the defendant be remanded in prison custody.