Melaye accuses police of assassination attempt

The senator representing Kogi West Senatorial District, Dino Melaye, has accused the police command of Kogi State of attempting to kill him. Melaye said this in reaction to the police, which had alleged that the senator’s security details repeatedly shot at policemen conducting ‘stop and search’ operations in Mopa. According to a statement by Melaye’s media assistant, Mr. Gideon Ayodele, on the senator’s way back from Isanlu, armed Special Anti-Robbery Squad operatives allegedly stopped his car next to the vehicle of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps leading his convoy. Melaye said, “The police stopped the vehicle of the civil defence corps, arrested them and suddenly opened fire on my vehicle, including my back- up vehicle. We all had to run for dear life as they continue to shoot at my SUV and, apart from the officers of the NSCDC, there was no other security man in my convoy. “This is happening in spite of my earlier letter to the Kogi State Police Command informing them of my plans to tour my constituency and commission my projects across the seven councils. My lawyer also wrote them (police) and they acknowledged the letters.” The senator further alleged that the Kogi State Police Commissioner, Ali Janga, was economical with the truth. He added, “Nobody from my convoy engaged in gun battle with the police. The police alleged that it was the last vehicle in my convoy that contained security men and that they shot at the police. This is a big lie. If it was so, why was it that nobody was arrested? “The vehicle they alleged was never shot and why was it that my car was next to civil defence vehicle that was attacked?”]]>