Melaye Petitions UN, Rights Groups, IGP…; Says My Life Is In Danger
Chairman, Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Dino Melaye, APC, Kogi West, Sunday raised the alarm that his life was in danger, just has he said that there was an immediate plan to murder him “extra-judicially” by his “political enemies” in collusion with men of the Kogi State Police Command.
Melaye in separate petitions to the United Nations (UN) Resident Representative, members of the diplomatic corps including the Ambassadors of the United States, Germany, Canada and the High Commissioner of the United Kingdom and the Amnesty International, Transparency International and the Human Rights Watch, however called on the intervention of the Inspector General of Police, members of the international Community and human rights bodies to save him from what he described as “willful, intentional harassment, oppression, political victimization and threat to life.”
Melaye through his lawyers, Messrs Ricky Tarfa & Co, wrote to the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, urging the police boss to raise a neutral police team to investigate the allegations of “gun running” being levelled against him by the Kogi State Police Command in conspiracy with the Kogi State Government.
Melaye said, “As things stand, I live each day in constant and reasonable fear for my life, looking over my shoulders and being harassed by the named politicians. The Police are a willing tool in the hands of these politicians.
“I am a law abiding citizen who voluntarily submitted myself before the FCT High Court to answer to charges which I know are unsustainable.
“However, the situation I am in right now gives me reason to believe that the law enforcement agencies, particularly the police, are in cohorts with my political enemies and can even go to the extent of terminating my life extra-judicially.
“I therefore seek your intervention in the circumstances to ensure that my fundamental human rights which both Nigeria and your countries are party to guarantee and my life protected.”
Ricky Tarfa, SAN, in a similar petition to the Inspector General of Police, on behalf of Melaye, averred among others that: “The fact that our client is now the one alleged to be a gun runner by the police in Kogi state is therefore extremely suspicious and with all due respect smacks of a set up.
“Our client who is abroad on an official trip had it brought to his notice and immediately informed us yesterday that the plans to set him up and frame him on spurious gun-running charges have been perfected and that some suspects would be paraded as having named him as their sponsor yesterday.
“This is exactly what happened in Lokoja yesterday 19th March 2018, with a press briefing and parade of suspects by the Force PRO on behalf of the Nigeria Police Force. “Sir, we urge for your urgent intervention in this matter.
As we have stated, our client, convinced of his innocence is ready to submit himself for investigation and to answer any charge against his person but by police officers of whose neutrality he is confident in this matter.
“Our client being a prominent serving Senator…will not and cannot run from Justice, but balks at being delivered directly into the hands of people who have made public threats against his person. “We anxiously await your intervention sir, to secure the life of our client and to avoid any breakdown of law and order.”
Melaye in his save my soul letter to the UN and members of the diplomatic corps in Nigeria, traced his present ordeal to his vocal stance in the Senate.
“As a Senator, I have been vocal in my contributions to national issues and “particularly so when the interest or wellbeing of the people of my constituency is concerned,” he said.
He noted that as a lawmaker representing Kogi West Senatorial District in the 8th Senate, he had consistently spoken out against injustice, mis-governance and acts of corruption “without mincing words or minding whose ox is gored in my quest to better the lot of the people of my constituency, my state and the nation as a whole.” He lamented that despite being in the same political party (All Progressives Congress) with Governor Bello, the Governor and himself have remained at logger heads “because I do not spare him where I feel he has gone wrong with respect to governance in Kogi State.”
