BY Dyepkazah Shibayan
The police have threatened declare Dino Melaye, senator representing Kogi west, as a wanted man if he does not appear before the command in Kogi state.
The senator was also threatened with the inclusion of his name in the red notice of the Interpol.
Red Notice, a request to locate and provisionally arrest an individual pending extradition, is not an international arrest warrant.
It is issued by the general secretariat at the request of a member country or an international tribunal based on a valid national arrest warrant.
Melaye is accused of arming two suspects to commit armed robbery and kidnappings, hence his summon by the police.
In a statement on Saturday, Jimoh Moshood, spokesman of the police, said a letter had been to sent to Senate President Bukola Saraki asking Melaye to appear at the command but he has failed to honour the invitation.
Moshood said Melaye has continued to evade a summon to appear before the federal high court, Lokoja, on March 28.
The police spokesman explained that the suspects said to be working for Melaye were introduced to him by Mohammed Audu, son of late Abubakar Audu.
“Senator Dino Melaye despite the letter sent to the senate president, refused to honour police invitation till date and also refused to appear in court and has also continued to evade the service of criminal summon on him to appear before the federal high court, Lokoja on the 28th March, 2018 to answer to the charge of criminal conspiracy and unlawful possession of prohibited firearms against him and Mohammed Audu,” the statement read.
“The Nigeria Police Force is therefore using this medium to advise senator Dino Melaye and Mohammed Audu in their interest to comply with the order of the court and appear on 28th March, 2018 before federal high court, Lokoja to answer to the criminal charges against them.
“If they continue to be evasive and fail to comply with criminal summon issued on them by the federal high court, Lokoja to appear on 28th March, 2018 to answer to the criminal charges of conspiracy and unlawful possession of prohibited firearms against them, the force, will obtain warrant of arrest for the arrest of senator Dino Melaye and Mohammed Audu and will definately declare them wanted throughout the country and on INTERPOL platform for them to be arrested in any country where ever they are sighted and handed over to the Nigeria Police Force for continuation of their trial.
“The Nigeria Police Force will continue to sustain the rule of law and maintain law and order throughout the country.”
But responding, Melaye said he would prefer to be questioned in Abuja because his safety could not be guaranteed in Lokoja.
In a letter by his lawyer in response to the summon, the senator asked Ibrahim Idris, inspector-general of police (IGP), to intervene in the matter.
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