Court remands Melaye, 2 others

 From Ahmad Ibrahim Lokoja

A Lokoja Senior Magistrate Court 11 today  ordered that Senator
Dino Melaye representing Kogi West Senatorial District in the Senate be remanded along
 with two others in police custody till 11th of June, 2018.

Melaye  who was brought to court in hospital stretcher, was slammed with seven
– count charge that bordered on illegal possession of prohibited
firearms, criminal
 conspiracy and illegal  transfer  of firearms among others.

When the charge sheet was read, the prosecution counsel,  Alex Izinyon
while citing relevant laws, posited that the allegations levelled against  the
 accused persons  were too weighty and not ordinarily bailable.

He therefore prayed the court to remand Senator Dino Melaye at the prison
 custody while the two accused persons who implicated Melaye, Kabiru
Seidu aka Osama and  Nuhu Salisu aka Small be remanded in police
custody
 But Melaye’s  Counsel, Mike Ezekhome while objecting to the prayer of the
 prosecution, moved for Melaye’s bail, insisting that the offences
which his client is being charged are bailable
He also presented two medical reports from the National Hospital, Abuja, proving
 that Melaye is bedridden  owing to a spinal cord injury he sustained.

He equally assured that his client cannot jump bail,  stressing that as a vocal senator of the
 Federal  Republic of Nigeria, he could not have jumped bail.

Ezekhome  also pleaded with the trial judge to consider the
 bail application, saying his client has been with the police since
the 24th of April, this year
and was released on bail on Wednesday by an Abuja Magistrate Court, only to
 be re-arrested by the police adding his client should be for prosecution
 and not persecution.

But the prosecution counsel, Alex Izinyon swiftly objected the bail
application, saying Melaye had earlier escaped from a lawful police custody
and that   for the counsel to say he was a vocal Senator “means he is
influential and can move and unmoved anything”
.

At the middle of the trial, Melaye suddenly woke up from the stretcher and
 looked around the court , and minutes later the doctor that led  a medical
 team to the court rushed to him and supplied him an inhaler.

The trial judge, Senior Magistrate Sulyman Abdullah in his ruling,
declined to exercise his discretion in favour of Senator Melaye, and
subsequently refused the oral application for bail.

He therefore ordered that all the three accused persons be remanded
in police custody while Melaye should be allowed access to his
medication.

He subsequently adjourned the case to the 11th of June, this year for mention.