How Melaye’s Lawyers Were Arrested By SARS, Detained in Prison, Released By Court

On Monday, April 30, the two young lawyers attached to Senator Dino Melaye, the Senator representing Kogi West senatorial district, Mr. David Amaefuna, Esq and Mr. Pius Ufo Inyang ,Esq of the law firm of Rickey Tarfa & Co, who were arrested and remanded in Kuje Prison were granted bail.

After exhaustive efforts by their chamber and colleagues, the presiding Magistrate of Mpape Magistrate Court, Abuja, granted the two lawyers bail in the sum of 200,000 Naira bond with a reliable surety.

What was found very repugnant by ElombahNews was the manner of their arrest, detention, and arraignment by security operatives of the Nigerian Police, including other developments.

The two Lawyers were brought to court on handcuffs amidst the full glare of the public and Lawyers that came out in mass to support their own.

The Magistrate Court was surrounded by hundreds of armed policemen as if a very notorious criminal was about to be arraigned.

Even lawyers, who came to show solidarity with their own, were shoved out of the court premises by security operatives.

Unperturbed, however, the learned gentlemen moved a motion challenging the action of the security operatives.

The Magistrate immediately granted their prayer and stated that the Lawyers have right to monitor the development, hence, should be allowed to stay in the court premises.

Speaking a few days ago on the arrest of the two lawyers, David Amaefuna, Esq and Mr. Pius Ufo Inyang, Esq., Barrister Emeka Obegolu narrated how they received the news of their arrest in Asaba.

He said that they were deliberating on the reform of criminal justice administration in Nigeria and the journey so far, a conference organized by the Arthur Obi Okafor, SAN, led NBA Committee on CJA, when the report filtered in.

He noted: “We were reminded that lawyers are also victims of flawed administration of justice and more work needs to be done to bring all stakeholders on board.

“I wish NBA Abuja can borrow a leaf from NBA Ikeja branch.”

He then presented a brief summary of the events that led to the unlawful arrest of Pius Udo-Inyang and David Amaefula as captured below:

The above named persons are legal practitioners, practicing in the law firm of Messrs Rickey Tarfa & Co. Abuja Office, whose registered address is at No. 2 Libreville Street, Off Aminu Kano Crescent, Wuse II, Abuja.

On Tuesday 24th April, 2018, David Amaefula who was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2013, was given firm instructions by the firm to accompany Senator Dino Melaye to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) office Guzape, Abuja to write his statement in respect of an allegation made against him. David Amaefula was to stand as a counsel to Senator Dino Melaye.

After the statement was written, Senator Dino Melaye was further delayed for another two hours for unexplainable reasons.

David Amaefula remained by his side all through. Officials of SARS then informed them that they were taking Senator Dino Melaye to court.

Senator Dino Melaye followed them in company of David Amaefula and his friends and family.

All these events occurred between the hours of 12.00noon and 1.00pm and we did not hear from David Amaefula anymore that day. His phones were unavailable.

At about 5.00pm, we received a call that Senator Dino Melaye, was receiving medical attention at the Zankli Medical Centre, Abuja.

Three counsel of the firm that afternoon, Regina Okotie-Eboh (Miss), Pius Udo-Inyang Esq and Ololade Shonibare (Miss) were instructed to take a copy of the Notice of Discontinuance earlier served on the firm in respect of the case of the Senator before the Federal High Court 9, Abuja with Charge No. FHC/LOK/20C/2018.

Upon arrival at the hospital, Senator Dino Melaye was slipping in and out of consciousness.

Shortly after, armed officers of the Nigerian Police Force who were fully armed surrounded the whole hospital premises.

Three officers came into the ward where Senator Dino Melaye was receiving medical attention and they confirmed it was indeed the Senator that was admitted.

At about 7.15pm, Pius Udo- Inyang left the room to get water at the kiosk in the hospital.

After 3 minutes, a nurse rushed in to inform the other two counsel that Pius Udo-Inyang had been arrested and shoved into a bus by armed policemen.

All efforts made by the two counsel inquire as to the reason for his arrest was futile as the bus drove away after the Senator, Dino Melaye was forcefully carried from his sick bed and taken to the National Hospital, Garki.

Up till that time, the whereabout of David Amaefula was unknown. We had no idea where he was.

We later gathered that Pius Udo-Inyang was at SARS. We went there to see him but we were not allowed into the premises. We made inquiries if David Amaefula was in their custody but they said he was not.

On Wednesday 25th April, 2018, three counsel in the firm went to SARS to see Pius Udo- Inyang and we found David Amaefula in their custody.

We again inquired as to the reason for their arrest but they were informed that Pius Udo-Inyang and David Amaefula along with two other persons arrested were to be taken to the Magistrate Court.

They were arraigned before the Magistrate Court ,Mpape, before His Worship Zubairu on a FIR.

We made oral applications for bail which was opposed by the prosecuting counsel.

After submission of counsel, His Worship adjourned the matter to the 30th of April, 2018 for ruling. He further ordered that the Defendants be remanded in custody.

The two counsel have since been remanded at Kuje Prison. [End]

Following spirited efforts by their chamber, as well as fellow lawyers, they were granted bail on Monday by an Abuja Magistrate Court that sat in Mpape, a suburb of Abuja.

Senator Melaye, meanwhile, remains in admitted/ detained in National Hospital where he is still receiving treatment after an encounter with the police who pounced on him when he refused to be taken to Lokoja to be paraded alongside some criminals.

In a related development, the Independent National Electoral Commission [INEC] failed in its bid to recall Senator Melaye from the National Assembly.

INEC, on Saturday, conducted a verification exercise which was meant to recall Melaye but constituents of the Kogi West Senatorial District shunned the process.

ElombahNews reported that only a paltry 5.34% turned up while INEC needed as much as 51.1% to actualise the exercise.