A mysterious game played out today when Senator Dino Melaye, representing Kogi West Senatorial District disappeared, alleging abduction on Abuja-Lokoja road, the day his court case was supposed to come up for hearing, forcing the Senior Magistrate, Sulyman Abdullah to adjourn the trial to August 9.
Dino Melaye was supposed to face the trial along with two others in the case of illegal possession of firearms and arms dealing.
The lead counsel to Melaye, Mike Ozekhome, represented by Yemi Mohammed, told the court today, Thursday that he heard on good authority that Melaye was attacked in Gwagwalada on his way to Lokoja.
“I learnt that he was attacked yesterday (Wednesday) in Gwagwalada on his way to Lokoja to attend his trial and up till now, I have not been able to reach him. I don’t know where he is at the moment.”
Earlier today, his younger brother, Moses Melaye tweeted that the Senator was abducted by unidentified gunmen along Abuja-Lokoja road, on his way to face the court trial in Lokoja.
In his ruling, the Senior Magistrate turned down the application by the prosecution for a long adjournment to September 23, saying that the Kogi State Administration of Criminal Justice Law did not allow for an adjournment beyond two weeks in a criminal case.
The Senior Magistrate, therefore, adjourned the case tol August 9 and ordered that the bail earlier granted should Melaye continued.
Magistrate Abdullah, however, ruled that the other two accused persons, Nuhu Salihu, known as “small’’ and Kabiru Seidu also known as “Osama,” standing trial on a seven-count charge bordering on illegal possession of firearms and arms dealing, should continue with their remand in police custody.
Source: NAN.
