LG boss accuses Melaye of stage managing attack on his life

THE assassination attempt on the senator representing Kogi west senatorial district, Dino Melaye, took a new turn in Monday as the Administrator of Ijumu local government area of the state, Toufiq Isah, accused the senator of stage managing the attack in order to cause unnecessary tension in the local government.

Apart from this, the council chairman also called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the presidency to investigate how Melaye allegedly diverted items meant for Internally Displaced People (IDP) last December.

Addressing newsmen at his country home in Okoro – Gbede, Isah who is also the chairman of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) in the state, said it was unfortunate that Melaye twisted the story and accused him of planning to kill him.

He said he only heard that the senator entered the Ayetoro with policemen shooting gun sporadically to scare people, wondering why he turned around to claim that he was attack.

He said as chief security officer of the council his responsibility is always to protect the lives and property of the people in the area, noting that if Melaye could not improve on the living standard of the people of Ijumu he should allow them to have peace instead of causing unnecessary distraction.

The ALGON chairman, while alleging that Melaye had never empowered anybody in Okunland, called on the EFCC to probe the IDPs materials he usurped and packed in his house.

“I am using this medium to call on the EFCC and the Presidency to investigate how items meant for IDPs in the north eastern parts of the country got to the hand of a Senator who ordinarily supposed to contribute to ameliorate the suffering of the people.

“The items according to information were packed in his house at Ayetoro- Gbede. EFCC should also investigate and unravel staff of NEMA who might aid and abate Dino in that shody deals” he said.

The ALGON boss however pointed out the his quest on daily basis was how best he can attend to his people at the local government, noting  that people were abandon by previous administrations thereby plunging the people into a precarious living conditions that needed urgent attention.

According to him “If you go to some villages within our local government area, there is high dearth of basic social amenities, Governor Bello’s led administration had made it compulsory to all the councils administrators to go down to the hinterland and touch people’s lives positively through the new direction agenda of the government and that is exactly what I am doing in my council area”

But Melaye has described Isah as a drowning man that was looking for what to hold on to, saying the claim by the council boss was an attempt to cover up his act.

He said every discerning and sound mind would know that it was impossible for anybody to stage manage such attack on himself.

According to him, the administrator was only attempting to cover his deeds and the evil he had perpetrated.