Court Orders Police To Move Dino Melaye To National Hospital, Abuja

The Kogi State High Court, Lokoja, has given an interim order to the police to transfer Dino Melaye, Senator representing Kogi West senatorial district to the National Hospital Abuja, for further treatment.

The trial judge Justice Nasir Ajanah, gave the order on Friday after the senator’s legal counsel, Mike Ozekhome (SAN) applied for his bail.

The judge ruled that Senator Dino Melaye should remain under the police custody while he is being transferred to the national hospital, while hearing for the bail application was adjourned until Monday, May 7, 2018,

This incidence comes barely 24 hours after Senator Melaye appeared before a Senior Magistrates Court in Kogi state, on a stretcher.

The Police reports that Dino Melaye is being arraigned for an alleged criminal conspiracy, as two suspects had earlier in the year implicated the senator as their financier and supplier of guns to commit several crimes in the state.

However, the Senator is also being tried for allegedly causing damage to government property, attempted suicide and escape from lawful custody

As the case commenced on Thursday, the prosecution counsel Alex Izinyon, however, told the court that it does not have the jurisdiction to entertain it.

According to ChannelsTV, Melaye’s lawyer in his submission argued that the court had the power by virtue of the Constitution to try the case.

Furthermore, he quoted Section 97 of the Penal Code which stated that the offence of conspiracy is bailable according to the Kogi State Administration of Criminal Justice.

He went further to present two medical reports from the national hospital which stated that Melaye is bedridden due to a spinal chord injury he sustained after he jumped out of a moving police vehicle on April 24, 2018.

The Chief Magistrate Suleiman Abdulahi after a short recess, denied the bail application and ruled that Melaye would remain in custody for the next 39 days and the case was adjourned till June 11, 2018

Story by Isreal Nwachukwu