The Federal Government on Thursday arraigned the senator representing Kogi West in the Senate, Dino Melaye, before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja on two counts of giving false information about an assassination attempt on his life to the police in April 2017.
Melaye was accused of falsely incriminating the Chief of Staff to Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, Mr. Edward Onoja David, in the alleged assassination attempt.
The offences were said to be punishable under Sections 140 and 393 of the Penal Code Law, Cap. 89, Laws of Northern Nigeria, 1963.
He pleaded not guilty to the two counts filed against him by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation on January 31, 2018.
Shortly after his plea, his lawyer, Mr. Rickey Tarfa (SAN), moved his bail application filed on February 22, 2018.
The bail application was opposed by the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Shuaibu Labaran.
But Justice Olasunbo Goodluck granted the bail, saying the prosecution’s opposition was based on inadmissible affidavit evidence.
The judge granted the bail to the defendant in the sum of N100,000 with one surety.
The judge ruled that the surety to be provided by the senator must be a federal civil servant of at least Grade Level 14 in any federal establishment.
The surety must also provide a proof to be a resident of the Federal Capital Territory.
Melaye was accompanied to the Thursday’s proceedings by about 11 senators, including Ben Murray-Bruce and Shehu Sani.
In the first count, the senator was accused of deliberately giving false information to the police to frame Governor Bello’s Chief of Staff as the mastermind of the assassination attempt on him at his hometown in Ayetoro-Gbede in Kogi State in April last year.
Ade Adesomoju Meanwhile, Melaye has alleged that Bello attempted to have him arrested by the operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police Force on the court premises on Thursday.
He posted this on his Twitter handle after he secured bail at the court.
Melaye also recalled that he once raised the alarm that the governor had the plan to intimidate him with “fake” charges in court.
The tweets read, “After the court refused the application of the Federal Government to refuse me bail, Governor Yahaya Bello using SARS and policemen from Kogi State Government House with Lokoja have taken over the FCT High Court to arrest and poison me on the way to Lokoja.
“You will recall that I alerted the nation two weeks ago that plans had been perfected to frame me up with fake charges by Kogi State Government. My resolve is total. I shall not be intimidated. I will continue to speak the truth.”
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