He was accused, in a First
Information Report (FIR), of destroying the side glass of a police vehicle,
attempting to kill himself by allegedly jumping off a moving vehicle and
allegedly resisting arrest.
He is said to have committed
offences punishable under Sections 148, 153, 172, 173, 231 and 326 of the Penal
Code Act.
The FIR reads: “On the 24th of
April 2018, about 1330hrs at Area One roundabout Abuja, within the jurisdiction
of the court, you Senator Dino Melaye of the Federal Republic of Nigeria while
being conveyed in a Police White Hilux Bus with Registration number NPF 3354 D
to Lokoja, Kogi State, to be arraigned
in court for conspiracy and unlawful possession of prohibited firearms in
charge Number CMCL/14SC/2018 filed at the Chief Magistrate Court Lokoja, you
Senator Dino Melaye intentionally broke the side windscreen of the bus and
jumped out of the bus after it was blocked by a Hilux Vehicle with registration
number Kaduna MKA 603 GY occupied by your younger brother Samuel Melaye and one
Barrister Amefula David Emeka and driven by yet to be unidentified person who
escaped from the scene after the blockade.
“You Senator Dino Melaye after
breaking the side windscreen attempted to kill yourself by jumping out of the
bus and fell on the ground and thereafter started shouting that you want to
kill yourself and implicate the Police for your death.
“That Police Officers who were
escorting you in the bus tried to re-arrest you back to the bus, but you
resisted further arrest with the help of your brother Samuel Melaye and some
lawyers in your company and further threatened to injure the Police officers if
they try to further arrest you and you finally escaped from the scene in
another Hilux vehicle.”
When the FIR was read to him,
Melaye, representing Kogi West Senatorial District on the platform of the All
Progressives Congress (APC), pleaded not guilty.
Melaye, dressed in native attire,
was brought to court in a Police ambulance, and on a stretcher. The ambulance
was marked: NPF2214D. He lay on the stretcher throughout the about an hour
proceedings.
He was brought to court under
heavy security. Entry and exit into the court premises was unusually restrained
by the heavily armed riot policemen, numbering about 200, drafted to the court.
Shortly after Melaye pleaded to
the information, lead prosecuting lawyer, Alex Izinyon (SAN) sought date for
trial.
Defence lawyer, Nkem Okoro prayed
the court to hear the bail application he filed for his client.
Okoro, while moving the
application, argued that since his client is not charged with capital offence,
he is entitled to bail.
He cited Section 162 of Administration
of Criminal Justice (ACJ) Act, which sets out conditions to be considered
before a bail application is granted or refused.
Iziyon objected to the bail
application and urged the court to reject it.
Ruling, Magistrate Mabel
Segun-Bello noted that bail is now liberalised under ACJA.
The magistrate said:”taking a
look at provision of Section 162 of ACJA, the prosecution counsel has not
proven any reasonable apprehension that would warrant the court from denying
the defendant bail.
“The prosecution counsel has
placed nothing before the court to show why the defendant should not be granted
bail.
“There is no evidence tendered
before this court to substantiate the prosecution counsel’s claim that the
defendant will jump bail.”
The magistrate said the
prosecuting lawyer has not convinced the court as to how the defendant was
likely to influence prosecution witnesses in the cause of his trial, if
released on bail.
Mrs. Segun-Bello proceeded to
grant Melaye bail at N90million with two sureties in like sum.
The magistrate said one of the
sureties must be a civil servant not lower than Great Level 14, and that the
other must have easily identifiable residence in Abuja.
Mrs. Segun-Bello ordered that
Melaye must deposit his international passport with the FCT Police Command.
She further ordered the defendant
to report at the Wuse police command every working day of the week until same
is altered by the court.
The magistrate adjourned to June
6.
After the court’s proceedings,
Melaye and his supporters remained in the courtroom for some hours, while his
lawyer and others made frantic efforts to meet the bail condition.
Notable faces at the court with
Melaye were Senators Ben Bruce (PDP, Bayelsa) and Abiodun Olujimi (PDP,
Ekitit). The entrance to the courtroom was secured by about 10 riot policemen
armed with AK47 rifles.
At about 4:20pm, Melaye was moved
out of the courtroom, accompanied by the armed policemen, into the waiting
ambulance packed within the court premises.
The vehicle was immediately
driven away by a policeman, followed by a long convoy of police vehicles, with
siren blaring.
Punch quoted Melaye’s lawyer, Mr.
Nkem Okoro, as saying that his client met the bail conditions granted by the
court but the senator was re-arrested by the police on the court premises.
“He met his bail conditions but
the police decided to re-arrest him on the excuse that they were taking him to
Lokoja tomorrow morning,” Okoro said.
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