The Nigeria Police Force has filed a charge of illegal possession of firearms against Senator Dino Melaye.

In the charge which has been filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja, the Police said a pump-action rifle was recovered from the lawmaker’s house in July last year during a search on one of his property located in his native Kogi State.

In the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/07/2019, the Police said the alleged offence contravened Section 27 of Nigeria’s Firearms Act. Part of the charge read:

“That you, Dino Melaye, representing Kogi West district in the 8th National Assembly, on or about the 20th day of July 2018 at about 12.30 hours under the jurisdiction of this honourable court, unlawfully had in your possession one automatic pump-action shotgun and 20 cartridges, which were recovered at your residence located in the Ayetoro Gbede area of Kogi State when a search warrant was executed on the directives of the Nigeria Police Force at your above mentioned residence under your control and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 27(1)(a)(i) of the Firearms Act Cap F28 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004,” the charge read.

The police also listed eight persons as witnesses to the discovery, comprising of six policemen and two men who were painting Melaye’s house when the policemen came to search the property.

The witnesses were named as DSP Babagana Bukar, DSP Ibrahim Abalaka, ASP Abdullahi Musa, Inspector Atabo Okpanachi, Inspector Apeh Peter, ASP Mohammed Onu, Theophilus Nuhu and Matthew Anthony.

According to the charge, the statements made by all the witnesses revealed that the said weapon was found not in the main building but the boys’ quarters where cars were parked.