How I Escaped From Kidnappers – Dino Melaye

Senator Dino Melaye has explained how he escaped being kidnapped by gunmen on his way to Kogi State.

The lawmaker who represents Kogi West Senatorial District was reportedly kidnapped on Wednesday last week along the Lokoja-Abuja highway, a day before he was meant to appear before a Magistrate Court in Lokoja, over alleged gunrunning.

He told Channels Television in an exclusive interview on Sunday that two vehicles carrying armed men intercepted his convoy, shooting sporadically.

Senator Melaye said, “I was going to attend my court sessions in Lokoja. Shortly after Gwagalada, a Sienna and Hilux that I have warned about a night (before) created a barricade and started shooting sporadically.

“I will say through the Grace of God, I saw a tree and I climbed it. I was on that tree when I saw the four armed men pass and after a while, they passed again”.

The lawmaker, whose whereabouts was said to be unknown and failed to appear before the Magistrate on Thursday last week, disclosed that he was inside a bush for about 11 hours.

He, however, dismissed reports that his abduction was staged to prevent him from showing up at the court.

Melaye noted that he was always present for his court proceedings, stressing that he had been arraigned for at least five times.

“I have never missed any of my court sessions; I have been arraigned by the Federal Government and the police five times and I have never missed any of those proceedings,” he said.

Senator Ben Murray-Bruce had broken the news of Melaye’s abduction on Twitter a day after the incident took place.

But the police, in a statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood, said they had yet to receive any complaint about the abduction.