Melaye travels abroad, alleges threat to life in Kogi

•Senator petitions IG, UN, others •’I’m willing to be quizzed in Abuja’

EMBATTLED Chairman of Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Senator Dino Melaye yesterday raised the alarm over alleged threat to his life.

Melaye, who made the allegation through his lawyers, Messrs Ricky Tarfa & Co, claimed that he is abroad “on an official trip”.

His lawyer said the plot was brought to Melaye’s notice abroad and he :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”.

He alleged that a plot has been hatched to “murder him extra-judicially” by his “political enemies” in Kogi State in collusion with men of the state police command.

The Kogi West senator made the allegation 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.

Others he sent the petition to include Amnesty International, Transparency International and the Human Rights Watch.

He also forwarded the petition to Inspector General (IG) Ibrahim Idris.

He urged the police boss to raise a neutral police team to investigate the allegations of “gun running” levelled against him by the Kogi State Police Command and the Kogi State Government

He sought for the intervention of the IG, members of the international community and human rights bodies to save him from what he described as “willful, intentional harassment, oppression, political victimisation and threat to life”.

Melaye prayed the UN and other envoys in Nigeria to help guarantee his fundamental human rights to liberty and safety from fear and harm to his person as well as threats to terminate his life allegedly by agents of the Kogi State Government.

Part of the petition reads: “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.”

Melaye, who endorsed one of the petitions, said: “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, are guaranteed and my life protected.”

Tarfa, SAN, in another petition to the IGP on behalf of Melaye, said: “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…”

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.

 

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