UPDATED: Police move Dino Melaye to Lokoja; arraign him

A day after arraigning Dino Melaye at Wuse Zone 2 Chief Magistrate’s Court in Abuja, the police have driven the senator to Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, and arraigned him.

PREMIUM TIMES learnt from sources close to the senator that he was arraigned at a Magistrate’s Court in Lokoja Thursday morning.

He secured a N90 million bail after he was arraigned in Abuja on Wednesday but police swiftly re-arrested him and reportedly detained him at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.

Mr Melaye had fought all attempts to take him to Lokoja to stand trial, including approaching the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court for an order prohibiting the police from taking him out of Abuja. He has expressed concern for his safety in Kogi.

He was driven to Lokoja at about 4:30 a.m. by officers and they arrived there at about 7:00 a.m.

It was not immediately clear why he was arraigned before another Magistrate’s Court in Lokoja. The police have consistently stated that he was being sought on criminal charges which ranged armed robbery to murder.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the lawmaker was brought to court in a police ambulance at about 9:17 a.m. and was immediately stretchered into the court by policemen.

Before his arrival, heavily armed policemen had taken positions within and outside the court premises to forestall unforeseen circumstances.

The arrival of the senator in court attracted the attention of workers and others who came for transactions.

Other courts within the premises were also not sitting as at the time of this report.

Also, journalists and other persons that had already been seated in court for hours were all asked to go out for security checks.

At the end, only few were allowed inside.

Details of charges against Mr Melaye were unknown yet as at the time of filing this report.

The senator had, before being brought to court, first been taken to the SARS headquarters near the NTA office in Lokoja.