The Nigerian Police Force (NPF) have arrested two men said to be members of an armed gang, who confessed to being provided weapons and financial support by Senator Dino Melaye (APC-Kogi West).
This could further complicate the ongoing political crisis that has seen Melaye and Governor Yahaya Bello enmeshed in bitter confrontations over the state’s political structure.
A statement by police spokesperson Jimoh Moshood said the suspects, identified as Kabiru Saidu and Nuru Salisu, were paraded on Monday in Lokoja, the state capital.
Moshood said the detectives caught the suspects with a cache of arms that included AK-47 rifles and pump action firearms. He also said that the suspects confessed during interrogations that they were being sponsored by the lawmaker.
The force spokesperson added that the criminal indictments were part of the reasons police were looking for Melaye. It had previous been reported how the police laid an unsuccessful siege to arrest Melaye two Fridays ago at the High Court of Federal Capital Territory in Maitama, Abuja.
The senator dribbled members of police special anti-robbery squad who were deployed to arrest him, disappearing into the night as the officers stood at utmost attention outside.
The embattled lawmaker has denied wrongdoings, saying the police are being used by Governor Bello, his political arch-rival, to malign his image and destroy his career.
Bello, in turn, denied any involvement in Melaye’s ordeal, saying the senator’s bad deeds have caught up with him.
Tags
Crime