Masked police officers have forced Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi
West – PDP) out of an Abuja hospital, where he was receiving medical
treatment, to an undisclosed location.

The lawmaker was forced out of his hospital
bed and transported out of the Police Hospital in Garki, Abuja, in an
unmarked vehicle.

He’s believed to be headed to Lokoja, Kogi
State, to answer questions for alleged involvement in the shooting of a
police officer, Sgt Danjuma Saliu, in July 2018, an allegation for which police officers invaded his Abuja home on December 28, 2018 to arrest him.

The lawmaker refused to surrender to
the authorities and made several social media posts to taunt and accuse
the Police of persecution.

However, he finally left his Maitama home on January 4 to surrender to the authorities shortly before he suffered an asthmatic attack and collapsed.

The lawmaker subsequently refused to leave his
hospital bed to face authorities, complaining about several medical
problems even though doctors passed him fit.

The latest twist in his clash with the Police
is similar to what transpired in 2018 when he was arrested for a
different alleged crime and then ended up in the hospital after what the
Police described as an escape from custody, another crime he was later
charged to court for.

Why Melaye is in Police trouble

Senator Dino Melaye has had several run-ins with the authorities over the past one year

Melaye took to his Twitter account
late on July 19, 2018 to raise alarm over an assassination attempt on
his life which he alleged was carried out by the police and military.

He tweeted, “I thank God for spearing
(sic) my life once again. Over 20 bullets holes on my jeep. Combination
of police,SARS and military. God I thank you.”

In
a statement signed by the spokesperson of the Kogi Command, DSP William
Aya, he said the senator deliberately twisted the facts of the matter
as it was his security aides who shot and injured a police sergeant
first.

He said Melaye’s convoy had been flagged down
by officers of the Anti-Robbery/Kidnapping Patrol Team on a
stop-and-search operation when they were fired upon after some of the
vehicles in the convoy refused to stop.

DSP Aya said the officers only fired back in
self-defence at the vehicles, which escaped from the scene, before they
found out that it was the lawmaker’s convoy.

He then called on Melaye to report with the
people in his convoy to the State Criminal Intelligence and
Investigation Department, Lokoja, to assist in the investigation.

Despite another notification sent to the
office of the Clerk of the National Assembly for the lawmaker to appear
for questioning, he failed to honour the invitation.