Melaye absent in court, his whereabouts remain unknown

Dino Melaye, senator representing Kogi-west, was on Thursday absent at a magistrate court in Lokoja, Kogi state, where he is facing a gun-running trial.

Ben Murray-Bruce, senator representing Bayelsa east, had earlier tweeted that Melaye had been kidnapped.

According to Bruce, his colleague was abducted on his way to court for the trial.

Musa Shuaibu, one of the associates of the Kogi lawmaker, said he witnessed the abduction along the Abuja-Lokoja highway.

“As we speak, his (Melaye’s) whereabouts is unknown. Nigerians must come to his rescue,” he told reporters.

Melaye was among the senators who defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday.

He is facing charges for allegedly aiding criminals.

At the court on Thursday, Yemi Mohammed, Melaye’s lawyer,  told Suleyman Abdalah, the presiding judge, that the senator was attacked in Gwagwalada, Abuja, on Wednesday on his way home from the court where he was arraigned for attempted suicide.

“I learnt that he was attacked yesterday in Gwagwalada on his way home from the court. Up till now, I have not been able to reach him. I don’t know where he is at the moment,” Mohammed said.

Mohammed said the prosecution counsel was not ready to open the case “due to the reason best known to them.”

However, Theophilus Oteme, officer in charge of police prosecution, told the court that the prosecuting counsel had an emergency, which made it “extremely difficult to appear in court.”

He asked for adjournment till September 23.

But Abdalah opposed the request on the basis of time span, arguing that “it contravened administration of criminal justice law of Kogi State as amended.”

He, therefore, adjourned the case till August 9.