Romanus Okoye
Chief Judge of Kogi State, Justice Nasir Ajana, yesterday, adjourned the hearing on the bail application filed by Senator Dino Melaye till Thursday, May 10.
The judge’s decision followed the filing of fresh applications by counsel to both parties, which the judge said he had not seen.
Counsel to the Inspector-General of Police, Alex Izinyon, SAN, had in an affidavit supporting his objection to the bail application raised “new and fundamental” issues that warranted the defendant to file a “better and further” affidavit.
The prosecution, in the affidavit, had objected to the bail application, claiming that Melaye might jump bail, if it was eventually granted.
He argued that the objection was based on the action of the senator, who attempted to escape from lawful custody when he jumped from a police vehicle conveying him to Lokoja. But Melaye’s counsel, Mike Ozekhome, SAN, who filed a fresh affidavit while the court was sitting, said there was need to address the new issues raised in the prosecution’s affidavit.
Ozekhome said that his client, Melaye, jumped out of the police vehicle conveying him from Abuja to Lokoja because he was tear-gassed twice inside the vehicle. He said the lawmaker took the decision to jump when the police also reneged on their promise of arraigning him before an FCT high court.
He, however, pleaded with the trial judge to stand down the case for 30 minutes to enable him complete the filing processes to the prosecutors’ counter-affidavits.
However, Izinyon, while reacting to the oral application to stand down the case, said he was just served with the affidavit and he needed time to study it properly.
Justice Ajana, in his ruling, said that, in view of the fact that counsel had filed fresh affidavit, which he had not seen, the bail application would be taken on Thursday.