On 1st March 2018, the Federal Republic of Nigeria(FRN) through
its Attorney General, Abubakar Malami arraigned one of the most
ardent critics of President Mohammadu Buhari administration,
Senator Dino Melaye before an Abuja High Court over allegations
bordering on giving of false information to the Police.
The ordeal of Senator Dino Melaye started in 2017 after a
face-off he had with the governor of his state Mr. Yahaya Bello
over the way and manner the latter is running the affairs of Kogi
state especially as regards to the perennial non-payment of Kogi
state civil servants’ salaries and emoluments which has resulted in
the deaths of some civil servants in the state.
Consequent upon this face-off, an attempt was made by some
elements loyal to the state governor to recall Dino from the Senate
but the attempt was scuttled by the instrumentality of the court
process.
Following this failure, some unknown gunmen invaded the
residence of Dino Melaye in Kogi state on the midnight of 15th
April, 2017 shooting sporadically into his house and destroying
some of his cars. After the incident, the Senator raised alarm that
his life is in danger and that he strongly suspects the local
government chairman of his area Mr. Taofiq Isah (who is a strong
loyalist of the state governor) of masterminding the failed
assassination plot.
Though Taofiq Isah denied the allegation immediately it was made
by the senator, fourteen days thereafter, the Nigeria Police Force
headquarters issued a press release informing the general public
that they had through a “swiftly deployed Police Special Tactical
Squad (STS)” carried out “a painstaking and sustained surveillance”
and has arrested six suspects involved in the assassination attempt
on Senator Dino Melaye and has also recovered a cache of arms and
ammunition including a bus suspected to have been used in the
assassination operation.
In the press release, the Force headquarters corroborated the
allegations of Senator Dino Melaye that Mr. Taofiq Isah actually
masterminded the failed assassination plot. The Force Headquarters
also told the general public that other persons arrested alongside
with Taofiq Isah have confessed their involvement in the crime and
that they would all be charged to court soon.
True to their words, in May 2017, the Force headquarters
arraigned the arrested suspects including Mr. Taofiq Isah before a
High Court of Kogi state presided by Justice Aromeh Benson Akogu on
counts relating to attempted assassination of Senator Dino Melaye.
The suspects were on trial till the judge handling the case died
mysteriously on 31st December 2017 inside a church where he went
for prayers.
Soon thereafter, rumour started flying that the Nigeria Police
Force will likely drop the criminal charges filed against Taofiq
Isah and other co-accused persons. The rumour mill had it that the
Federal government led by President Buhari and the Kogi state
government led by Yahaya Bello are making efforts on top gear to
teach Dino Melaye some lessons over his brazen criticisms of the
style of governance of President Mohammadu Buhari and that of Kogi
state governor, Yahaya Bello.
Thirty days after the sudden strange death of Justice Akogu, the
Federal Government through the Attorney General of the Federation
Mr. Abubakar Malami filed a criminal charge against Dino Melaye. In
the charge, Dino was accused of deliberately giving false
information to the police in order to frame Yahaya Bello’s Chief
–of- Staff as the mastermind of the assassination attempt on him at
his hometown in April 2017.
However a critical and unbiased analysis of the
entire issues surrounding this curious arraignment of the
vociferous senator will throw up vital questions and answers as
follows:
1. Was there really an assassination attempt on Dino confirmed by
the Nigeria Police Force? Yes
2. Did the Nigeria Police Force make some arrest of the prime
suspects? Yes
3. Were there prima facie evidence(s) that the prime suspects
arrested by the Police were culpable given their confessional
statements and the exhibits obtained and recovered by the Police?
Yes
4. Did Dino mention the name of the Chief- of- Staff of Kogi
state government as one of the people he was suspecting for the
failed assassination? No
5. Even if he did, given the circumstances of the aftermath of
his face-off with the governor of Kogi state, the failed recall
attempts made by some loyalists of the governor and the subsequent
failed assassination plot on his life coupled with the confessional
statements of the prime suspects arrested and paraded by the
Nigeria Police Force, could the allegation be considered a wild
one? No
6. Could the action of the AGF in hurriedly filing a criminal
charge against Dino Melaye a victim of a substantiated failed
assassination plot be considered to have been done in good faith
especially when the trial of the prime suspects of the said
assassination attempt is still on-going at the court? No
Despite these glaring issues and the objective answers thereon, the
Federal government led by the Attorney General of the Federation
Mr. Abubakar Malami went ahead to arraign Dino Melaye.
Be that as it may, this case has presented an excellent
opportunity for the Nigerian judiciary to once more showcase the
mettle of bravery and courage which it’s known for in confronting
abuse of state power normally perpetrated by the Executive arm of
government towards muzzling its critics and suppressing dissident
voices of opposition.
Lawrence C. Nnoli, a lawyer and a former federal
prosecutor. lawrence.nnoli@gmail.com
On 1st March 2018, the Federal Republic of Nigeria(FRN) through
its Attorney General, Abubakar Malami arraigned one of the most
ardent critics of President Mohammadu Buhari administration,
Senator Dino Melaye before an Abuja High Court over allegations
bordering on giving of false information to the Police.
The ordeal of Senator Dino Melaye started in 2017 after a
face-off he had with the governor of his state Mr. Yahaya Bello
over the way and manner the latter is running the affairs of Kogi
state especially as regards to the perennial non-payment of Kogi
state civil servants’ salaries and emoluments which has resulted in
the deaths of some civil servants in the state.
Consequent upon this face-off, an attempt was made by some
elements loyal to the state governor to recall Dino from the Senate
but the attempt was scuttled by the instrumentality of the court
process.
Following this failure, some unknown gunmen invaded the
residence of Dino Melaye in Kogi state on the midnight of 15th
April, 2017 shooting sporadically into his house and destroying
some of his cars. After the incident, the Senator raised alarm that
his life is in danger and that he strongly suspects the local
government chairman of his area Mr. Taofiq Isah (who is a strong
loyalist of the state governor) of masterminding the failed
assassination plot.
Though Taofiq Isah denied the allegation immediately it was made
by the senator, fourteen days thereafter, the Nigeria Police Force
headquarters issued a press release informing the general public
that they had through a “swiftly deployed Police Special Tactical
Squad (STS)” carried out “a painstaking and sustained surveillance”
and has arrested six suspects involved in the assassination attempt
on Senator Dino Melaye and has also recovered a cache of arms and
ammunition including a bus suspected to have been used in the
assassination operation.
In the press release, the Force headquarters corroborated the
allegations of Senator Dino Melaye that Mr. Taofiq Isah actually
masterminded the failed assassination plot. The Force Headquarters
also told the general public that other persons arrested alongside
with Taofiq Isah have confessed their involvement in the crime and
that they would all be charged to court soon.
True to their words, in May 2017, the Force headquarters
arraigned the arrested suspects including Mr. Taofiq Isah before a
High Court of Kogi state presided by Justice Aromeh Benson Akogu on
counts relating to attempted assassination of Senator Dino Melaye.
The suspects were on trial till the judge handling the case died
mysteriously on 31st December 2017 inside a church where he went
for prayers.
Soon thereafter, rumour started flying that the Nigeria Police
Force will likely drop the criminal charges filed against Taofiq
Isah and other co-accused persons. The rumour mill had it that the
Federal government led by President Buhari and the Kogi state
government led by Yahaya Bello are making efforts on top gear to
teach Dino Melaye some lessons over his brazen criticisms of the
style of governance of President Mohammadu Buhari and that of Kogi
state governor, Yahaya Bello.
Thirty days after the sudden strange death of Justice Akogu, the
Federal Government through the Attorney General of the Federation
Mr. Abubakar Malami filed a criminal charge against Dino Melaye. In
the charge, Dino was accused of deliberately giving false
information to the police in order to frame Yahaya Bello’s Chief
–of- Staff as the mastermind of the assassination attempt on him at
his hometown in April 2017.
However a critical and unbiased analysis of the
entire issues surrounding this curious arraignment of the
vociferous senator will throw up vital questions and answers as
follows:
1. Was there really an assassination attempt on Dino confirmed by
the Nigeria Police Force? Yes
2. Did the Nigeria Police Force make some arrest of the prime
suspects? Yes
3. Were there prima facie evidence(s) that the prime suspects
arrested by the Police were culpable given their confessional
statements and the exhibits obtained and recovered by the Police?
Yes
4. Did Dino mention the name of the Chief- of- Staff of Kogi
state government as one of the people he was suspecting for the
failed assassination? No
5. Even if he did, given the circumstances of the aftermath of
his face-off with the governor of Kogi state, the failed recall
attempts made by some loyalists of the governor and the subsequent
failed assassination plot on his life coupled with the confessional
statements of the prime suspects arrested and paraded by the
Nigeria Police Force, could the allegation be considered a wild
one? No
6. Could the action of the AGF in hurriedly filing a criminal
charge against Dino Melaye a victim of a substantiated failed
assassination plot be considered to have been done in good faith
especially when the trial of the prime suspects of the said
assassination attempt is still on-going at the court? No
Despite these glaring issues and the objective answers thereon, the
Federal government led by the Attorney General of the Federation
Mr. Abubakar Malami went ahead to arraign Dino Melaye.
Be that as it may, this case has presented an excellent
opportunity for the Nigerian judiciary to once more showcase the
mettle of bravery and courage which it’s known for in confronting
abuse of state power normally perpetrated by the Executive arm of
government towards muzzling its critics and suppressing dissident
voices of opposition.
Lawrence C. Nnoli, a lawyer and a former federal
prosecutor. lawrence.nnoli@gmail.com