Police Debunk Report of Planning to Arrest, Inject Melaye to Death

Alex Enumah in Abuja

The police have debunked the report that it plans to arrest and inject to death the senator representing Kogi West Senatorial District in the National Assembly Dino Melaye.

The police, which described the claim by the senator as mischievous, malicious and hateful among others however, advised Melaye to open up if he had committed any crime that would warrant the police to arrest him rather than “whipping up sentiments to distract the public”.

“The attention of the Nigeria Police Force has been drawn to a statement in some sections of the media credited to a serving Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, representing Kogi West Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Senator Dino Melaye, captioned ‘IG plans to arrest me, inject me to death’.

“The Force is categorically stating that the statement is mischievous, malicious, capable of misleading the public and laughable, there was no such order from the Inspector General of Police or any plan by the Force to arrest Senator Dino Melaye and inject him to death but if the senator knows he had committed any crime or he is aware of his involvement in any crime, he should come out and confess and face the legal consequences instead of whipping up sentiments to distract the public,” a statement from the police read in part.

The statement signed by the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO) Jimoh Moshood, while stating that the Force sees such defamatory, mischievous, malicious and reckless statement by Senator Melaye as untrue, ridiculous, mischievous and unfortunate, appealed to members of the public to disregard and discountenance Melaye’s statement in its entirety as untrue and mischievous.

The police said Melaye should know that his statement constitutes a criminal defamatory offence, hate speech and hateful conduct.

“He should however as a lawmaker be law abiding and desist from un-senatorial and lawless utterances that cannot be substantiated with facts,” it added.

Moshood however stressed that the Inspector General of Police (IG) will not be distracted by statements from the likes of Melaye but will continue to ensure that the rule of law prevails in all matters.

Melaye had tweeted on Tuesday that officers of the Nigerian police have already been deployed for the alleged plan to arrest him and thereafter inject him to death.

“There is a plan by the IG to arrest me today and inject me to death. Men deployed already. CP Kogi and others removed. Nigerians watch out,” he had posted on his Twitter handle last Tuesday.