Finally, Dino Melaye in police custody

Dino Melaye

The police have finally taken Dino Melaye into custody, his aides said.

The serving senator from Kogi State submitted himself to the police outside his Maitama, Abuja, home Tuesday morning, ending a day-long siege.

Mr Melaye initially declined to surrender to a team of mobile and regular police officers who arrived to arrest him at home Monday afternoon, saying he had done nothing wrong and expressing fears for his life.

He said officers would take him to Kogi where his security cannot guaranteed.

He finally submitted himself to the police around 8:00 a.m. following appeals from some of his colleagues at the Senate. He was taken to the special anti-robbery squad office in Guzape, Abuja, his media aide, Gideon Ayodele, told PREMIUM TIMES.

The police have not responded to a request for comments.

The fate of Mr Melaye now that the police have him remain unclear. Mr Ayodele said the police planned to take him to Kogi where he has been undergoing criminal investigation, but the senator declined.

“They told us they wanted to take him to court here in Abuja, but they diverted towards Kogi now,” Mr Ayodele said. “But he has said he will not go to Kogi and there is currently a stalemate over that.”

Mr Ayodele said dragging his principal to Kogi would be illegal because the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court had recently ruled that his case should be transfered to Abuja.

The police are after Mr Melaye for allegedly arming deadly criminal gangs and convening a political rally that ended with the death of at least one attendee.

The police also said they had arrested suspects who confirmed that Mr Melaye had provided arms and financial support to them.

There are also allegations that he provided false statement to the police when implicated the chief of staff to Kogi governor in an alleged attempt to assassinate him last year.

Mr Melaye denied the allegations, saying his ordeal was largely because of his outspoken stance against alleged impunity in the country.

He also accused his state governor Yahaya Bello, as the mastermind of his predicament, a claim the governor denied. Mr Bello said Mr Melaye should face the consequences of his actions.