On Monday, Justice Sylvanus Oriji of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Maitama, Abuja, discharged and acquitted former Kogi West Senator, Dino Melaye of all charges brought against him by the Federal Government.
The case, which dates back to 2019, involved a six-count charge accusing Melaye of attempted suicide, escape from police custody, and damage to police property.
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The alleged incident took place on April 24, 2018, while Melaye was being transported by the police to Lokoja, the capital of Kogi State.
During the journey, Melaye allegedly forced his way out of the police vehicle, threatened to commit suicide, and broke the vehicle’s window, thus causing damage to public property.
Despite these serious allegations, Melaye maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings, pleading not guilty.
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His legal team, led by Professor Mike Ozekhome SAN, filed a no-case submission after the prosecution presented five witnesses and ten exhibits.
Initially, Justice Oriji upheld the no-case submission on two of the six counts — threat to injure public officers and attempted suicide.
However, the remaining four charges required Melaye to enter a defense.
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In delivering the final judgment, Justice Oriji held that the prosecution could not prove beyond reasonable doubt that Melaye was guilty of the remaining charges, which included escape from custody and damage to police property.
Consequently, the court acquitted him of all charges, affirming that the prosecution failed to meet the legal threshold for conviction.
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