UPDATED: Senator. Dino Melaye re-arrested in Abuja hospital

FB_IMG_1524587042860 — Senator Melaye on a stretcher

Controversial lawmaker Senator Dino Melaye has probably been through the toughest 48 hours of his life as he was rushed to Zankili hospital Abuja after sustaining injuries in a bid to escape.

The Cable reports that the hospital ambulance brought him in at about 4:25pm, after which he was admitted into the emergency unit.

Information reaching Frontline News Online has it that the senator representing Kogi West, has been rearrested at the hospital where he is being treated.

Vanguard reports that the Police spokesman, Mr Jimoh Moshood on hearing where Dino was, stormed the hospital along with 30 Police officers. Currently, Dino has been re-arrested by the Nigerian police but have not been taken away from the hospital.

TheCable had earlier reported that the senator was supposedly being led to court by the policemen on Tuesday afternoon when he attempted to escape.

It was gathered that the police vehicle carrying Melaye turned to an unknown location, around Area 1, Abuja.

Unconfirmed reports have it that they had manhandled him and had planned to take him to Kogi, his home state.

Melaye was said to have immediately jumped out of the vehicle, sustaining injuries in the process.

Before his hospitalisation after he had tweeted that he would be surrendering himself to the police, Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Force Headquaters, SP Aremu Adediran reiterated that the police had been on trail of the lawmaker criminal indictments leveled against him in a case of criminal conspiracy and unlawful possession of firearms, kidnapping, armed robbery murder and political thuggery in Kogi State.

Adediran recalled in a statement sent to Frontline News Online that one Kabiru Saidu a.k.a OSAMA revealed that he and his gang have been working as political thugs for one Mr. Mohammed Audu a Politician in the State and that Audu invited him to Abuja and introduced him to Senator Melaye and they met on Airport road, Abuja inside the lawmaker’s car in the month of December, 2017.

Adediran further recalls the suspect saying that Melaye handed him a bag containing one (1) AK47 rifle, two (2) Pump Action guns and the sum of four hundred and thirty thousand naira N430, 000.00 to share with his boys.

The statement read in part: ‘It would be recalled that working on actionable intelligence, the Kogi State Police Command personnel and Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad trailed and arrested two suspects KABIRU SAIDU a.k.a OSAMA “31 YRS” and NUHU SALISU a.k.a SMALL “25 YRS” on the 19th January, 2018 at Ogojueje in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State. During investigation, they confessed to the various criminal roles they played in the commission of several kidnappings and Armed Robbery in different towns across Kogi State and its environs for which they have been on the wanted list of the Police for more than two years now.

“Consequent on this indictment on the Senator, The Nigeria Police Force, sent a letter of investigation activities/invitation dated and acknowledged on 2nd March, 2018 addressed to the Senate President, Federal Republic of Nigeria informing and requesting him to release Senator Dino Melaye to report to the Police on the 7th March, 2018 to answer to criminal offences of Conspiracy and Unlawful Possession of Prohibited Firearms levelled against him, and another separate letter was equally written in this regard, this was to enable the Police Investigation Team carryout a discreet and thorough investigation into the case. But Senator Dino Melaye refused to honour the Police invitations.

“Sequel to his refusal to honour Police invitations, he was therefore watch listed through the Nigeria Police INTERPOL Office and in compliance to the INTERPOL’s “Watch List”, the officers of the Nigerian Immigration Service intercepted and collected his International Passport from him at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. While this was on, he snatched the Passport from the officers at the Airport and bolted away to his house.

” In furtherance to this, the Police obtained a warrant of arrest and trailed him to his house at Maitama, Abuja and cordon off the place. He however surrendered himself to the Police this morning, 24th April, 2018 for investigation on the allegations against him”