Dino Melaye, Senator representing Kogi West District in the National Assembly, has been declared wanted by the Kogi State Police Command.
Officers were deployed to his home in Aiyetoro-Gbede, Kogi on Friday to effect his arrest, but didn’t meet the Senator at home.
Melaye has also been requested by the Police in Abuja to report at its headquarters for questioning, following his involvement in a protest by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abuja on October 5, 2018.
A statement by the Abuja Police Command read: “Consequently, Senator Bukola Saraki, Senator Dino Melaye and Senator Ben Bruce who were captured on camera to have been involved in the disturbance of public peace and public safety… and violent attack on policemen posted to ensure security of the force headquarters, pushing and hitting the policemen to forcefully enter the force headquarters to cause damage to police equipment… are hereby invited to report themselves to the IGP Monitoring Unit at the force headquarters on Monday, 8th October, 2018 for investigation.”
However, according to NAN, for the Kogi Police Command, Melaye was declared wanted for his alleged connection to a shooting incident which occurred on July 19, when thugs attacked a policeman on patrol.
A statement by the command’s spokesman, DSP William Aya, noted that the clarification followed the allegation by Melaye on Twitter on October 12 that the ADC to Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi led some officers to his house to assassinate him.
The statement read: “The ADC has nothing to do with this case. The Command wishes to state unequivocally that the statement is not only a figment of the imagination of Sen. Melaye who has mastered the art of political gimmickry, but totally false, malicious and highly mischievous.
“The Commissioner of Police sent Police Officers to his country home for arrest, unfortunately we did not get him at home.”
The statement accused Melaye of mobilising thugs to attack officers on routine duty along Mopa–Aiyetoro-Gbede on July 19 without provocation.
“The thugs shot and injured Force No. 432913 Sgt. Danjuma Saliu who is currently receiving treatment at Veda Crest Hospital, Abuja,” the statement said.
Aya said Melaye was invited officially through letter No. AR:3000/KGS/X/VOL.43/670 on July 23, 2018, to respond to the charge, but the lawmaker had refused to honour the invitation.
The statement noted that Melaye is “wanted by the Kogi State Police Command for criminal conspiracy, attempted culpable homicide and unlawful possession of firearms”, and appealed to him to report to the Police headquarters in Lokoja to answer the allegations levelled against him. (NAN)
