Sen Melaye remanded in police custody as court refuses bail

The Lokoja Chief Magistrates’ Court , Suleiman Abdullahi on Thursday remanded Senator Dino Melaye (APC, Kogi West) in Police custody till June 11, 2018 when charges of conspiracy, aiding jailbreak , gunrunning and kidnapping filed against him by the Nigeria Police will be heard.

Chief Magistrate Abdullahi refused Melaye’s bail application after the senator was arraigned in Lokoja , the Kogi State capital on fresh criminal charge. Melaye’s bail application, which was argued by his lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), was refused by the Chief Magistrate.

Abdullahi delivered his ruling on the bail application after the matter was stood down for some minutes. On resumption, he said that the offences which relates to fire arms are not bailable and ordered that Melaye should be remanded in custody.

He agreed with the submissions of the Federal Government private prosecuting lawyer, Dr. Alex Izinyon (SAN), that armed robbery offences are not bailable. Izinyon (SAN), had in his opposition to the bail application, urged the court to refuse the application and remand Melaye in prison custody.

Melaye, who was brought to the court on stretcher, took a plea of not guilty when the Police First Information Report (FIR) was read to him.

The Daily Times recalls that Senator Melaye was admitted to N90m bail with two sureties by Wuse Chief Magistrate’s Court Mabel Segun- Bello on Wednesday for jumping from a police Hilux bus. But Melaye was said to have been transported to Lokoja with his stretcher on Thursday where he faced the fresh charge.

Kogi State Police Command had on 28 March 2018 announced that six suspects including Kabiru Seibu (a.k.a Osama) and Nuhu Salisu (a.k.a Small) have escaped from Police custody. The command added that the two suspects’ confession indicted Senator Dino Melaye and one Mohammed Audu in a case of Conspiracy and unlawful possession of Prohibited Firearm.

According to the Police, the two suspects had earlier this year implicated Senator Melaye as their financier and suppliers of gun to kidnap, rob, and cause political mayhem in the state.

Melaye was brought to Chief Magistrate Court Lokoja in a police ambulance at about 9:17 am and was lying on a stretcher under heavy presence of policemen.

Even before his arrival, heavily armed policemen had taken positions within and outside the court premises to forestall unforeseen circumstances .

Journalists and court audience who had seated in court for hours before Melaye’s arrival were all asked to go out for security checks and only few were allowed inside after the check.

The senator had before being brought to court was first taken to the SARS headquarters near the NTA office in Lokoja .