"I didn’t send anybody to attack Melaye"

The administrator of Ijumu local government area of Kogi state, Alhaji Taufiq Isa, on Thursday told a Kogi state high court, sitting in Lokoja that he never sent anybody to attack the senator representing Kogi west senatorial district, Senator Dino Melaye.


He told the court presided over by Justice Arome Akogwu, that he didn’t know the people that allegedly attacked the senator.

This was contained in his written statement tendered as exhibit by the prosecution at the resumed hearing of the case of culpable homicide and conspiracy brought against him and four others.

The prosecution counsel, Lough Simon, had called the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) in the case, Sergeant Abdul Aminu, as a prosecution witness in the matter.

However under cross examination by the defence counsel, Abdulahi Aliyu, SAN, the witness confirmed that the statement of the local government administrator was taken in his presence.

In the said statement, Isa said he didn’t send anybody on any mission involving attack on the Kogi west senator.

The statement read in part, “I never sent anybody to attack Dino, my duty is to protect, I don’t know those that attacked him, I have never carried any arm to political rallies before.”

“Dino and I have our differences, he wanted to nominate somebody as the administrator of Ijumu local government area. I was in the hospital looking after my wife who was sick and on admission when the said attack took place.”

The statement was however accepted and marked as exhibit by Justice Akoju following no objection by the defence counsels.

The exhibit keeper of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the ‘A’ division, the state police command, Inspector Sule Ibrahim, had tendered two double barrel guns recovered during investigation into the case as exhibit before the court.

The guns were recovered from the security men attached to Isa, who said he was a member of the vigilante group operating in the area.

The trial judge has however adjourned further hearing on the case to October 5, 2017.