Dino Melaye loses high court battle seeking to get the police end their siege outside his home

SENATOR Dino Melaye has lost a high court battle to get the police to end their siege of his Abuja mansion that has resulted in the security forces blockading it for the last week as they seek his arrest.

Highly controversial, Senator Melaye, the lawmaker representing Kogi West Senatorial District, is currently being sought by the police who want to charge him to court in Lokoja for several offences. Over the festive period, police laid siege to his Abuja mansion, cutting off the power supply and mounting a road block outside, refusing to leave until he gave himself up.

In response, senator Melaye sought an ex-parte application with the federal high court Abuja to order the removal of police blockade. In the ex-parte application, Senator Melaye, through his lawyer Nkem Okoro of the Mike Ozekhome chambers, asked the court for an interim order directing the police to vacate his residence and remove all blockades in front of the residence and allow his family and political associates to have access to him.

Demanding the enforcement of his fundamental human rights, he also sought an order restraining the police from further threatening his life or putting his life in jeopardy pending the determination of the substantive suit. Senator Melaye further sought an order of the court restraining the police from further arresting him, pending the hearing and determination of a substantive suit he has pending.

However, the judge, Justice Maha, refused the application and ordered an accelerated hearing of the substantive suit, following which the matter was adjourned to January 14. In her ruling, Justice Maha said that in view of the fact that her leave to seat as a vacation judge would elapse on January 4, the case file would be transferred to the chief judge for re-assignment.

Senator Melaye, who alleged that the inspector-general of police Ibrahim Idris will inject him to death if he is arrested, has been under police siege since last Friday. Over the last year, Senator Melaye has had numerous brushes with the police and in once instance, he claimed he was kidnapped by unknown persons.