Senator Dino Melaye has immediately responded to the allegation made by the duo of Kabir Saidu a.k.a. Osama and Nuhu Saliu a.k.a Small of arming them with weapons against 2019 election.
Senator Dino Melaye
The senator in his prompt reaction said… “It is a frame up and orchestrated attempt by the state government to discredit me. I have never seen the suspects in my life and did not have anything to do with them.”
“This is an attempt to shut me up and stop me from speaking the truth but they have failed, it is an orchestrated lie by the governor and the police, in have tweeted about six weeks ago that they want to set me up because I got an Intel from government house when they met to set me up.”
“You can see the conflicting statements by the criminals, I heard one said I gave two AK47 and pump action, while the other said I gave only one rifle and that I gave N430,000 to train militia, and that I met them in airport road in December 2017 but they didn’t give a date and time.”
“I don’t know anybody I have not involved myself with any thugs I became member house of representatives and senate without, if this is an attempt to shut me up they have failed.”
It would be recalled that two suspected criminals paraded by Nigeria Police Force in Lokoja on Monday March 19th, 2018 had named Senator Dino Melaye for arming them with weapons against 2019 election.
The suspects Kabir Saidu, (Osama) and Nuhu Saliu, (Small) were reported to have been on the police wanted list for the past two years were arrested in January by the Kogi state Police Command and Federal Special Anti- Robbery Squad.
However, the Force Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood said that the suspects were arrested after a gun battle with the police team that lasted for some hours on the 19 January 2018 at Ogojueje in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi state. And during investigation, they confessed to the various criminal roles they played in the commission of several kidnappings and armed robbery in different towns across Kogi state and its environs for which they have been on the wanted list of the police for more than two years now.
Also, the suspects during interrogation, confessed they were politically recruited by some mischievous politicians in Kogi state to cause mayhem and disruption of peace and destruction of lives and property in the state.
According to ACP Mashood… “The gang leader said he met Senator Dino Melaye at the airport road, Abuja inside His car on the 27 December, 2017 when he told him to start working for him. The suspects further confessed that Senator Dino Melaye gave him a sum of N430,000 to recruit and train more other thugs to work for him in preparation towards 2019 general election to enable him challenge his political opponents and disorganise Kogi state.”
The ACP added that… “Consequent on the indictments and criminal confessions against Senator Dino Melaye by the principal suspect, Kabiru Saidu a.k.a Osama, 31 years, Nigeria police force wrote a letter dated 2nd of March, 2018 to answer to criminal offences levelled against him to enable the police carry a discrete investigation into the confession of the principal suspect against Senator Dino Melaye. But Senator Dino Melaye has refused to honour the police invitation till date.”
“A case of criminal conspiracy and unlawful possession of prohibited firearms have therefore been filled by the Nigeria police force at federal high court, Lokoja”