Breaking: FG tells Abuja court to revoke Melaye’s N10M Bail

The Federal Government, on Wednesday, prayed a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), sitting at Maitama, to revoke the bail it granted to Sen. Dino Melaye.

Melaye, a senator representing Kogi West Senatorial District in the National Assembly, was on March 1, arranged  before the court over allegation that information he gave to the Nigerian Police Force about an assassination attempt on his life on 15 April 2017, was false.
According a charge marked CR/106/18, Melaye was alleged to have falsely incriminated the Chief of Staff to Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, Mr. Edward Onoja David, in the said assassination attempt.
The charge dated January 31, 2018, revealed that the police had in the course of investigation,discovered that Melaye was attempting to frame-up some persons with his claim.
The senator was alleged to have told Abubakar, a son of a former governor of Kogi State in a telephone conversation how he framed Edward Onoja David in the assassination attempt.
‎When the matter came up yesterday, Sen. Melaye was absent in court.
His absence promoted the application by the prosecution counsel, ‎Mr. Labaran Shuaibu, applied for the revocation of Melaye’s bail.
‎In the alternative, the prosecution said the court should summon the person that stood surety for him to appear and show cause why he should not be committed to prison for the absence of the defendant.
“My lord the defendant was granted bail by this court and the case was adjourned till today for hearing, but he is not present in court.
“The fact is that he was granted bail and he perfected the conditions and was released, whatever he may have done afterwards is not the business of this court.
“In the circumstance my lord, we shall be applying for this court to order the surety to the defendant to come and show cause. Otherwise, we shall be compelled to ask that the bail be revoked”, Shuaibu added.
He told the court that FG has lined up four witnesses that will testify against Melaye.
However, the defence counsel, Mr. Ricky Tarfa, SAN, accused FG of concealing the true facts and circumstances of the case to the court.
“My lord I expected the prosecution to be more forthright by laying the facts bare before this court.
“After the last proceeding, the defendant has been charged before different courts. One in Abuja granted him bail, but immediately he was released, he was taken on a stretcher to Lokoja the following day and charged before a Magistrate Court.
“That court refused him bail. However, an application was made before a High Court in Lokoja which took into consideration the facts of the case and ordered that the defendant should be taken into Police custody for proper medical care pending the determination of his bail application.
“His bail application before that court was adjourned till today for ruling”, Tarfa submitted.