The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, on Thursday, turned down an application to order the Nigerian Police Force to vacate the blockade it mou
The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, on Thursday, turned down an application to order the Nigerian Police Force to vacate the blockade it mounted at the residence of Senator Dino Melaye. Rather, the court, in a ruling that was delivered by Justice N. E. Maha, okayed accelerated hearing of a fundamental rights enforcement suit the embattled lawmaker filed against the Police.
Melaye had through his lawyer, Mr. Nkem Okoro from the chambers of Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, approached the court wit an ex-parte application, praying it to order the Inspector General of Police to direct his men to discontinue the siege they laid at his residence for over one week. He applied for an interim order of the court directing the police to not only vacate his Abuja residence, but to also remove all blockades in front of his house to allow his family and political associates to have access to him.
He maintained that the continued action of the police in denying him freedom of movement and personal liberty, amouted to gross abuse of his fundamental human rights as enshrined in the 1999 constitution, as amended. Besides, he prayed the court to restrain Police from further threatening his life or putting his life in jeopardy, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit as well as to restrain the police from taking further steps to arrest him, pending the hearing and determination of the suit before the court.
However, Justice Maha who noted that her duty as a vacation judge would elapse on Friday, said it would be better to transfer the case-file to the Chief Judge of the High Court for it to be re-assigned to another judge for adjudication. Consequently, she adjourned the case till January 14. Police had insisted on arresting the lawmaker who is representing Kogi West Senatorial District, following his alleged complicity in the murder of a police officer. Insisting that its action was backed with a valid arrest warrant, officers numbering over 50 have continued to lay seige to the residence for days, with a threat that they could forcefully enter the residence to arrest the lawmaker who was said to be hiding in the house.
Specifically, Police, said Melaye was wanted for the alleged shooting of one Sergeant Danjuma Saliu who was attached to 37 Police Mobile Force. The officer was allegedly shot while on official duties along Aiyetoro Gbede- Mopa road in Kogi state. Melaye had on December 29, 2018, raised the alarm that Police allegedly cut off power supply to his home as part of strategies to make him uncomfortable so that he could surrender. He equally alleged that police officers were bringing in tools that would be used to put down his gate so as to grant them access to his private chambers.
Nevertheless, Police spokesman, Mr. Jimoh Moshood, alleged that Melaye repeatedly shunned several invitations to report for investigation into the case of attempted culpable homicide. Moshood maintained that the police would not vacate the lawmaker’s residence without affecting his arrest. The controversial senator is already facing two separate charges from the police for attempted suicide and for allegedly arming criminal suspects
