Former Senator Dino Melaye has been acquitted in the twelfth and final case brought against him by the Federal Government, concluding a lengthy legal battle that spanned six years.
Justice Sylvanus Oriji delivered the verdict at the FCT High Court in Maitama, exonerating Melaye of two charges related to providing false information about an alleged assassination attempt on his life in 2017.
The legal troubles began in February 2018 when Melaye was accused of falsely implicating Edward Onoja, who was then the Chief of Staff to Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, in the assassination plot.
Celebrating the verdict on social media platform X, Melaye expressed gratitude to his legal team and reiterated his steadfast faith in divine justice.
“I take life as it comes, but in all the vicissitudes of life, I trust in God only. He is always with the just.
“Justice served after six years. Justice delayed is never justice denied. God alone be praised. SEN. DINO MELAYE 12 – FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND IGP 0. 12 CASES ALL WON BY GOD,” he said.
The initial case concerning the alleged assassination attempt faced numerous delays, including the tragic passing of Justice Aromeh Benson Akogu, the presiding judge, during a crossover service on December 31, 2017.
The Attorney General’s Office officially charged Melaye on January 31, 2018, asserting that his allegations were baseless and emerged from an investigation into the purported assassination attempt in his hometown of Ayetoro-Gbede, Kogi State. Melaye pleaded not guilty on March 1, 2018.
In July 2018, he accused the Kogi State police command of attempting to kill him, responding to claims that his security detail had fired at police officers conducting ‘stop and search’ operations in Mopa.
In March 2019, Melaye again alleged a conspiracy against his life by the Kogi State government, a claim that state authorities denied.
