Police Maintain All Night Vigil at Melaye’s Residence

Damilola Oyedele in Abuja 

Men of the Nigeria Police Force maintained an all night vigil at the Abuja home of Senator Dino Melaye, in an action which began Mondayafternoon.

As of Tuesday morning, they had not arrested the senator, as they could not gain entry into the building.

  
A close associate of the senator, in a telephone conversation with THISDAY, Tuesday morning, explained that Melaye cannot submit himself to the police who are in their dozens at his house, as he was yet to be notified of the reason for his planned arrest.

“He does not know what they want to arrest him for. Is it on their allegations of gun running, or of false representation? He has to know before he submits himself to just anybody,” the associate said.

The associate further queried the rationale behind the police siege after same police denied involvement in Melaye’s brief detention by men of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) on Monday morning at the Abuja airport en route to Morocco.

“The intention is just to harass and embarrass him. They just want to put handcuffs on him and spread the pictures. If not, they had him yesterday morning,” he added.

Meanwhile, protesters from the internally displaced persons’ camps are still camped outside the senator’s residence. 

More to follow…