Court refuses Dino Melaye’s request to order police out of residence

Dino Melaye

A request by a senator, Dino Melaye, for police officers to vacate his residence and desist from further attempts at arresting him has been refused by a Federal High Court in Abuja.

Mr Melaye had approached the court after the police officers laid a siege to his residence following allegations by the senator that the police planned to poison him.

The senator representing Kogi West Senatorial district at the National Assembly also asked the court to stop the police from what he described as acting in a manner threatening his life.

The requests were presented as ex-parte applications after Melaye asked the court for enforcement of his fundamental rights in the same court.

An ex-parte application could have allowed the judge to grant the order without hearing from the police.

In a ruling on the ex-parte application on Thursday, a judge, N. E. Maha, refused the application, but ruled that the substantive matter be granted accelerated hearing.

The police have insisted on arresting Melaye, accusing him of involvement in the killing of a police officer.

The controversial senator is already facing two separate charges of attempted suicide and allegedly arming criminal suspects.