Senator Melaye Gets N5m Bail In Suicide Attempt Case

Justice Slyvanus Oriji of the High Court of the FCT sitting in Apo has granted Senator Dino Melaye, lawmaker representing Kogi west, bail to the tune of N5m with two sureties.

This was as the Inspector General of Police (IGP), on Wednesday, arraigned Senator Melaye on a six count charge over alleged attempt to commit suicide and escape from police custody.

Part of the counts reads: “That you Senator Dino Melaye of 11 Sangha street Maitama on the 24th of April 2018 within the jurisdiction of this honourable court while being conveyed in a white Police Haice Bus with a Registration Number marked NPF 3354D to lokoja, Kogi State by police officers to be arraigned in court for conspiracy and unlawful possession of firearms in charge number CMCL/145C/2018 filed at the Chief Magistrate Court Lokoja Kogi State intentionally obstructed the police officers from conveying you to lokoja by forcing your way out of the said bus and escaped and thereby committed an offence

“That you Senator Dino Melaye of 11 Sangha street Maitama on the 24th of April 2018 within the jurisdiction of this honourable court while being conveyed in a white Police Haice Bus with a Registration Number marked NPF 3354D to lokoja, Kogi State by police officers to be arraigned in court for conspiracy and unlawful possession of firearms in charge number CMCL/145C/2018 filed at the Chief Magistrate Court Lokoja Kogi State forced your way out of the bus.

“When you were to be rearrested by the same police officer, you threatened to kill yourself and put the police officers in trouble which prevented them from re-arresting you and thereby committed an offence.

“That you Senator Dino Melaye of 11 Sangha street Maitama on the 24th of April 2018 within the jurisdiction of this honourable court while being conveyed in a white Police Haice Bus with a Registration Number marked NPF 3354D to lokoja, Kogi State by police officers to be arraigned in court for conspiracy and unlawful possession of firearms in charge number CMCL/145C/2018 filed at the Chief Maistrate Court Lokoja Kogi State forced your way out of the police bus and escaped by means of White Toyota Hilux with registration number Kaduna MKA 603GY and hereby committed an offence.

“That you Senator Dino Melaye of 11 Sangha street Maitama on the 24th of April 2018 within the jurisdiction of this honourable court while being conveyed in a white Police Haice Bus with a Registration Number marked NPF 3354D to lokoja, Kogi State by police officers to be arraigned in court for conspiracy and unlawful possession ofrge number CMCL/145C/2018 filed at the Chief Maistrate Court Lokoja Kogi State broke with your left elbow the glass on the second window to the last at the left side of the said bus belonging to the Nigerian Police force and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 327 of the penal code law.”

After the defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges read against him, his lawyer Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) prayed the court to grant the defendant bail on the same terms of the magistrate court in Wuse Zone 2 Abuja which was actually going on until it was strucked out.

Chief Ozekhome further stressed that the defendant will not jump bail or flee from justice as he has another matter pending before Lokoja High Court today.

“My lord we are at your mercy to grant him bail.I can assure your that he will attend his trial because he is also interested in clearing his name in all the court cases,” Chief Ozekhome said.

In response the police prosecutor Dr Alex Izinyon (SAN) said he will leave it to the discretion of the court.

“I urge your lordship to use your discretion to grant bail to the defendant,” Izinyon said.

In his ruling, Justice Oriji said one of the sureties must be a a director of the civil service adding that that failure to meet up with the bail terms means the defendant be remanded in prison custody.

“One of the sureties must be a director in the civil service residing in the FCT and must deposit an affidavit of means.”