Dino Melaye: ‘Police Has No Right To Declare Anyone Wanted’ — Lawyer

A Former Vice Chairman of the FCT Chapter of the Nigerian Bar
Association, Victor Abasiakan-Ekim, says the police has no right to
declare any citizen wanted.

He said this when he appeared as a guest on Channels
Television’s Politics Today, Wednesday following the decision of
the Police to declare the senator representing Kogi West, Senator
Dino Melaye and seven others, wanted.

Ekim said what the police ought to have done was to send a
letter to the Senate President, requesting that he produces Senator
Melaye or go to court.

“I would say that amounts to trivializing the issue. Dino Melaye
is a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and I think they
have these appellation ‘distinguished’ attached to their names.

“He draws salary from the taxpayers’ funds, so he can be reached
through the Senate President. The proper approach is to send a
letter to the Senate President, requesting that he produce Dino
Melaye to the police authority for questioning.
“A second way to go about it is to present a court with the
allegation against Dino Melaye and the evidence the police has
gathered against him.

“But the police cannot arrogate unto itself the power to
prosecute and pass a sentence by way of declaring a citizen
wanted.

“That has been struck down by a court of law in the Federal
Capital Territory where honourable Justice Musa declared the powers
of the EFCC to declare a citizen wanted, illegal.

“The Police on its own does not have a right to declare a
citizen wanted, it means you are the complainant, the investigator
and the one declaring him wanted so you’re overriding judicial
powers,” he stated.

The Police had said earlier that it will declare the Senator
wanted if he failed to show up at its Kogi command on Wednesday,
March 28 over allegations of unlawful possession of prohibited
firearms among other things.

Also, he was being asked to appear before the police over an
alleged connection to two suspects who were said to have been part
of an armed gang terrorising residents of the state.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood had revealed
that the suspects were arrested with a cache of arms which they
claimed had been supplied to them by Senator Melaye.

But earlier today (Wednesday) the suspects were said to have
escaped from police custody in the state capital, Lokoja.

The development was announced by the by the state Commissioner
of Police, Mr Ali Janga.

In a statement signed by him, he said: “Four of the suspects
were on court remand, including two that indicted Senator Dino
Melaye and Mohammed Audi.

“Consequently, all the six suspects, Senator Dino Melaye and
Mohammed Audu were sent for watchlisting and red notice by the
INTERPOL for immediate arrest anywhere we see them”.

The police commissioner noted that Investigation into the
jailbreak is ongoing while the 13 police officers who were on duty
when the incident occurred have been detained for
interrogation.

Meanwhile, Senator Melaye has threatened to sue the Inspector
General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris if he fails to produce the
two suspects in the next 48 hours.

A Former Vice Chairman of the FCT Chapter of the Nigerian Bar
Association, Victor Abasiakan-Ekim, says the police has no right to
declare any citizen wanted.

He said this when he appeared as a guest on Channels
Television’s Politics Today, Wednesday following the decision of
the Police to declare the senator representing Kogi West, Senator
Dino Melaye and seven others, wanted.

Ekim said what the police ought to have done was to send a
letter to the Senate President, requesting that he produces Senator
Melaye or go to court.

“I would say that amounts to trivializing the issue. Dino Melaye
is a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and I think they
have these appellation ‘distinguished’ attached to their names.

“He draws salary from the taxpayers’ funds, so he can be reached
through the Senate President. The proper approach is to send a
letter to the Senate President, requesting that he produce Dino
Melaye to the police authority for questioning.
“A second way to go about it is to present a court with the
allegation against Dino Melaye and the evidence the police has
gathered against him.

“But the police cannot arrogate unto itself the power to
prosecute and pass a sentence by way of declaring a citizen
wanted.

“That has been struck down by a court of law in the Federal
Capital Territory where honourable Justice Musa declared the powers
of the EFCC to declare a citizen wanted, illegal.

“The Police on its own does not have a right to declare a
citizen wanted, it means you are the complainant, the investigator
and the one declaring him wanted so you’re overriding judicial
powers,” he stated.

The Police had said earlier that it will declare the Senator
wanted if he failed to show up at its Kogi command on Wednesday,
March 28 over allegations of unlawful possession of prohibited
firearms among other things.

Also, he was being asked to appear before the police over an
alleged connection to two suspects who were said to have been part
of an armed gang terrorising residents of the state.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood had revealed
that the suspects were arrested with a cache of arms which they
claimed had been supplied to them by Senator Melaye.

But earlier today (Wednesday) the suspects were said to have
escaped from police custody in the state capital, Lokoja.

The development was announced by the by the state Commissioner
of Police, Mr Ali Janga.

In a statement signed by him, he said: “Four of the suspects
were on court remand, including two that indicted Senator Dino
Melaye and Mohammed Audi.

“Consequently, all the six suspects, Senator Dino Melaye and
Mohammed Audu were sent for watchlisting and red notice by the
INTERPOL for immediate arrest anywhere we see them”.

The police commissioner noted that Investigation into the
jailbreak is ongoing while the 13 police officers who were on duty
when the incident occurred have been detained for
interrogation.

Meanwhile, Senator Melaye has threatened to sue the Inspector
General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris if he fails to produce the
two suspects in the next 48 hours.