Controversy as police parades thugs allegedly working for Melaye, Audu’s son

Controversy has trailed the arrest of two suspected political thugs by the Nigeria Police, allegedly working for the lawmaker representing Kogi West, Senator Dino Melaye and the son of late Kogi Governorship aspirant, Mohammed Audu.

According to the Force Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood, the suspects Kabiru Saidu A.K.A Osama and Nuhu Salisu A.K.A (small) were arrested after a gun battle with the Police team which lasted for several hours on January 19, 2018.

Our Kogi State Correspondent reports that Moshood told journalists at the Command Headquarter in Lokoja that the two suspects upon interrogation confessed working as a political thug for Alhaji Mohammed Audu and Senator Dino Melaye.

According to him, “Alhaji Mohammed allegedly invited the gang leader Kabiru Osama to Abuja and introduced him to Senator Dino Melaye and they met at Airport Road, Abuja inside Dino Melaye’s car in December, 2017. The suspects further confessed that Senator Melaye told him that they should start working for the Senator as his political thugs and they should recruit and train more other thugs to work for him (Dino Melaye) in preparation for 2019 general election.”

Moshood alleged that the suspects confessed to the Police that Senator Dino Melaye handed over a bag containing one AK 47 rifle, two pump action guns and the sum of four hundred and thirty thousand naira (N430, 000) to share with his boy.

He further stated that consequent upon the indictment and criminal confession of the principal suspect, Kabiru Saidu, the Police wrote to the Senate requesting Dino Melaye to report to the Kogi State Police Command to answer questions to the criminal offences levelled against him, to enable the Police carry out a discreet investigation into the confession of the principal suspects, but the lawmaker refused to honour the Police invitation.

The Police also said a case of criminal conspiracy and unlawful possession of prohibited firearms have been filed against the two suspects at the Federal High Court, Lokoja, adding that Senator Dino Melaye and Alhaji Mohammed Audu who is also a suspect on the matter is currently on the run.

The two suspects during interrogation by media men in Lokoja affirmed the position of the Nigeria Police saying, “we were contacted by Dino Melaye and Mohammed Audu to work as political thugs during the 2019 general election”.

Earlier before the Police briefed the media, the lawmaker representing Kogi West Senator Dino Melaye raised alarms on a social media post that the Kogi State government in connivance with the Nigeria Police have concluded plans to indict him by parading suspected criminals on Monday March 19.

Dino Melaye post reads in part: “Save for last-minute change of mind, the governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello and the Kogi State Police Command have perfected plans to have Senator Dino Melaye arrested over trump-up charges. 

“One of the plans is to organize a press briefing by the State Police Commissioner any moment from now this Monday afternoon in Lokoja where a notorious criminal by the name Osama will be paraded. According to a Kogi State Government source, Osama will thereafter name Melaye in front of the cameras as a gun supplier. Given the faulty premise of recalling Senator Dino Melaye, they have realized that the exercise may fail and all attempts to have him arrested is not yielding fruits, hence they want to frame him up on gun running so that he will lose public sympathy which he enjoys now,” the source said.

“On why Melaye is being framed up, the state government official said Governor Bello was "seriously" infuriated by the lawmaker's recent comment on the floor of the Senate regarding the importation of military camouflage, boots and others by the governor. For daring the governor on the importation of these dangerous items like military wares, they said he must face the music this time at all costs because the governor is seriously angry. So, a criminal in detention will be paraded to mention his name as a gun supplier. But I think this is laughable because the Senator is well known to all”.

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