Dino Melaye Insists On His Assassination Attack And Life Threat Stories, Provides Proof

Dino Melaye, the Executive Secretary of the Anti-Corruption Network, insists there was an assassination attempt on his life on Monday, adding that he has brought threats to his person in the past to the attention of the police.

Mr. Melaye, a former member of the House of Representatives, forwarded to SaharaReporters copies of letters he had previously sent to the police to inform them of those threats, and his requests for their protection.

Mr. Melaye’s first letter was to the Commissioner of Police of the Federal Capital Territory was dated January 19, 2012. In it, he asked for two police officers to protect his residence. “This has become most pertinent as a result of recent strong threat on the lives of my family members and my humble self,” the letter said.

On July 31, he sent another letter to the Minister of Police Affairs requesting a courtesy call to introduce his non-governmental organization, the Anti-corruption Network.  In the letter, he suggested to the Minister “the need to build necessary and effective synergy between the Network” and the police department.

In a third letter dated September 20, he asked the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Dahiru Abubakar, for two non-uniformed policemen to provide protection, but he did not state the nature of the threat.

Yesterday, a Commissioner of Police in Abuja, Olufemi Ogunbayo, denied there was an assassination attempt on the life of Mr. Melaye. He told Premium Times, “The police have gone to the scene of the crime and we could not find any car parked there; no trace of shells on the ground.”

The commissioner also disputed Melaye’s claim that his car was bullet proof.

Mr. Melaye, a former member of the ruling People’s Democratic Party but now a member of the opposition Action Congress of Nigeria, had reported that his vehicle was shot at on Monday night in the Central Business District of Abuja as he headed home from the National Hospital.  In light of the refusal of the police authorities to provide him with protection, the former lawmaker said that he would now look up only to God to provide him with protection.