UPDATED: Melaye Denied Bail, To Remain In Police Custody

A Senior Magistrate Court, sitting in Lokoja, Kogi State, on Thursday ordered that the embattled senator representing Kogi West, Senator Dino Melaye, be remanded in police custody till June 11. This followed his arraignment on a seven-count charges bordering on criminal conspiracy and unlawful possession of prohibited firearms, kidnapping, armed robbery and murder, political thuggery among others, before Mr. Suleyman Abdullahi of the Senior Magistrate Court 2. The lead government prosecutor, Mr. Alex Iziyon (SAN) argued that the offences carried more than three years sentence and therefore prayed that the accused be denied bail, when the defence counsel, Mike Ezekhome (SAN), made an oral application that the accused be admitted in bail. The court in denying the application said that the defence failed to submit a written to the effect, while the prosecution made a written that the accused be so remanded. The accused was therefore ordered to be remanded in police custody, while hearing was adjourned to 11 June, 2018. Melaye, who was granted bail by an Abuja Magistrate court, on Wednesday, after his arraignment on charges bordering on attempted suicide and escape from lawful custody, was brought into the court premises in a police ambulance marked: NPF 2214D, at exactly 9.15am, to face charges of criminal conspiracy and unlawful possession of prohibited firearms, kidnapping, armed robbery, murder, political thuggery and other violent crimes in Kogi State. The Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Force Headquarters, Aremu Adeniran (SP), on April 24 2018, while addressing pressmen, in Lokoja, said two suspects, Kabiru Salisu aka Osama (31) and Nuhu Salisu aka Small (25), who were arrested on January 19, 2018 at Ogojueje, in Dekina LGA of Kogi State, confessed to various crimes, some of which they linked to the senator. Both suspects were to later escape from the ‘A’ Division police custody in Lokoja, along with four others, but were later re-arrested. Before the commencement of his arraignment, pressmen were ordered out of the court room, but about four of them were later allowed entry. Controversy however arose as to under which police custody should the senator be kept, even as his counsel was heard expressing fears that his client “will be killed”, if remanded anywhere in Kogi State. The controversy was yet to abate as at the time of filing this report, as Senator Melaye remained on his hospital stretcher inside the court room.]]>