A Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday refused an ex-parte application brought by Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi, APC) seeking the end of police siege on his Abuja residence.
A detachment of policemen had been occupying the senator’s premises for over a week in their bid to arrest him for an alleged shooting of one Sergeant Danjuma Saliu attached to 37 Police Mobile Force along Aiyetoro Gbede-Mopa road in Kogi state sometimes in July, 2018. Melaye strongly denied the police allegations.
Melaye had subsequently approached the court through his lawyer, Nkem Okoro of the Mike Ozekhome (SAN) chambers, for the enforcement of his fundamental human rights.
This prompted the court to fix Thursday for the hearing of the ex-parte application filed together with the enforcement of his fundamental human rights’ suit.
In the ex-parte application, Melaye prayed the court for an interim order of the court 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.
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.
He further sought the order of the court restraining the police from further arresting him pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.
However, the judge, Justice Nkeonye Evelyn Maha refused the application and instead ordered an accelerated hearing of the substantive suit. The matter was thereafter adjourned to January 14.
She said 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.
Earlier, counsel for the police, Alex Izinyon (SAN) asked that the police should be recorded to have made appearance but the court refused the plea. He told the court that the police was served with hearing notice which prompted his appearance.
However, the judge said she was not aware of the hearing notice, adding that it was a sad thing for a hearing notice to be served on the respondent without the approval of the court.
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