Johannesburg - Nigerian police on Monday confirmed the arrest of Senator Dino Melaye at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in the capital Abuja.
Melaye had been on a wanted list for his alleged involvement in a murder case and provision of support for criminals in his home state of Kogi, Nigeria’s Premium Times reported.
He was arrested as he was undergoing security and immigration screening after being placed on a ‘no fly’ list.
But Melaye didn’t go quietly. After an official confiscated his passport, he snatched it back and attempted to board his flight before being intercepted by police who told him he was on an Interpol wanted list.
The senator says the whole incident is a set up.
“We have called Interpol and they said it is a lie. Someone has also mentioned to me that my name was placed at the airport by a police commissioner,” said Melaye.
The stand-off came hours after the senator secured bail on perjury charges.
He was arraigned on allegations that he provided false information to the police in an attempt to indict a senior official of the Kogi State government. He was subsequently released on bail.
Fearing re-arrest, however, he stayed inside the court as statutorily a suspect who has been granted bail by a court and met the conditions cannot be arrested within the court premises by security personnel.
But when the police team left the court later in the evening Melaye made his escape through a back channel, and police have since been waiting for an opportunity to arrest him.