Police gassed an asthmatic Senator Melaye twice - Ben Bruce

Senator Ben Murray Bruce representing Bayelsa has alleged that the Nigerian police gassed controversial Senator Dino Melaye who is asthmatic twice while he was being conveyed to Kogi.

The lawmaker and founder of Silverbird Group further alleged that Melaye was unable to breathe when he decided to jump out of the moving vehicle and injuring himself in the process.

Senator Bruce had earlier queried the possibility of the Senator jumping out of a moving vehicle saying he wondered how large the vehicle's windows were.

But on Monday, April 30, 2018 after meeting with Senator, who is currently in the police custody, Senator Bruce had changed his narrative.

"Just met with @dino_melaye. Very sad to hear what transpired. Dino is asthmatic, yet while in transit, the police gassed him & he could barely breathe. Second time they gassed him, he had to force his way out of the vehicle. Dino literally escaped death. SAD!" he tweeted.

ALSO READ: Melaye explains why he escaped from SARS custody

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Senator Dino Melaye, has explained why he carried out a daring escape while he was being transported in police vehicle to his home state to answer criminal charges.

Melaye had briefly escaped from police officers while he was being transported from Abuja to Kogi on Tuesday, April 24, 2018.

The lawmaker had refused to honour police invitations for weeks and had been declared wanted before he was eventually arrested on Tuesday.

Melaye's spokesman gives another reason for the Senator's decision to jump out of the vehicle

Gideon Ayodele, Melaye's spokesperson said that contrary to reports in the media, the lawmaker did not jump out of a moving police vehicle. However, he failed to disclose how police officers lost him to unknown hoodlums before he was rearrested.

Ayodele assured that the lawmaker's resistance on Tuesday, April 24, 2018 was a last ditch attempt to foil the attempt to kidnap and assassinate him.

The statement read, "Earlier in the morning, Senator Dino Melaye as a law-abiding citizen voluntarily submitted himself to the operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) who had laid siege to his private residence since around 3.35pm of Monday, April 23, 2018.

"He, along with his lawyers and personal aides, was driven in his private car to the SARS office in Guzape district of Abuja, sandwiched among the numerous police vehicles earlier deployed to his house.

"But shortly after Mr Melaye entered the police custody in Abuja, officers dragged him in a vehicle and headed towards Lokoja, the Kogi State capital which also falls under his Kogi West Senatorial District.

"Mr Melaye feared that his life would be in danger if taken to Lokoja, amongst other alleged sinister motives of both the police and the state government there.

"The public will vividly recall that this same case involving Senator Dino Melaye had already been transferred to Abuja by the Chief Justice of the Federal High Court after Senator Melaye expressed worry about his safety in Lokoja.

"Now, the question is why will they want to forcefully take him to Lokoja? The Senator believes they are doing the Kogi Governor's bidding in order to assassinate him."

Police gassed an asthmatic Senator Melaye twice - Ben Bruce

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