Senate President Bukola Saraki has said the embattled Chairman, Senate Committee on FCT, Dino Melaye, is stable and no longer on handcuffs at the National Hospital, Abuja.
Saraki stated this on Wednesday after he led other senators to the Intensive Care Unit of the National Trauma Centre, National Hospital, Abuja to visit Melaye who is on admission at the hospital.
The Senate had cut short plenary over the arrest and detention of the Kogi West lawmaker by the police.
Saraki who spoke to journalists at the hospital after the visit, said the senator is stable and no longer on handcuffs.
He said: “After the sitting of the Senate today, we decided to come here because for 24 hours, we have not heard or know the state of Senator Dino. We are happy that we have seen him. He is in intensive care. He is stable for now. He has not eaten for the past 24 hours. We are trying to resolve that. He is on fluids and he has been seen by a cardiologist and all specialists. He also has a lot of underlying issues. He is asthmatic. So, we are a bit concerned. By now we thank God he is stable. He is been monitored and we continue to pray for him that he fully recovers from his predicament”.
On whether he is still on handcuffs, Saraki said: “No, he is not on handcuffs”.
A picture had gone viral on Tuesday, showing the senator on a stretcher and on handcuffs.
The legislative body also summoned the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to appear before them in plenary on Thursday to explain the circumstances surrounding the police operation.
Although over 40 senators accompanied the Senate President to the hospital, he was, however, allowed entry into the Intensive Care Unit of the Trauma Centre accompanied by seven senators while the other lawmakers waited at the conference hall of the hospital, where they later held a brief meeting with the management of facility.
Those who accompanied Saraki to visit the senator at the Intensive Care Unit include: Senate Leader, Ahmad Lawan; Senators Suleiman Nazif, Abu Ibrahim, Shehu Sani, Mao Ohuabunwa, Lanre Tejuoso, Suleiman Adokwe and Shehu Sani.
The Senate President also disclosed during plenary that he had not been able to reach out to the police boss in the last 48 hours, describing his action as an affront to the institution of the National Assembly.
Briefing his colleagues before they adjourned plenary abruptly and proceeded to the hospital, Deputy Senate Leader Ibn N’Allah who had earlier led a delegation of the Senate to visit the lawmaker, revealed that they were denied access to see the senator at the Intensive Care Unit by heavily armed policemen.
N’Allah also disclosed that the senator had not eaten in the last 24 hours.
“We confirmed that he (Melaye) was brought in about 11pm (on Tuesday). We spoke to the doctor who is the trauma surgeon in charge of the Unit and the CMD himself and the assurance we have is that they are doing whatever is humanly possible to stabilise him. We tried to see him but the police left instruction that only Senator Abu Ibrahim and Senator Baba Kaka Garbai are allowed to see him.
“Something is however worrisome and it is his feeding. Police are afraid of feeding him and the hospital is having reservations. He gave an instruction that two of his cooks will prepare the food but that they must taste the food.
“We also heard there was insistence to remove him from the National Hospital and I think the hospital insisted that there must be an undertaking and nobody is willing to sign,” he told lawmakers.
In their separate contributions, senators including Samuel Anyanwu, Chukwuka Utazi, Isah Misau, Ibrahim Gobir, Adamu Aliero, Shehu Sani, Ubali Shittu, Mao Ohuabunwa, Sunny Ogbuoji and Abdullahi Adamu condemned the ill-treatment given to Melaye by the police.
According to them, Nigeria is gradually sliding towards a totalitarian state, adding that this is not the change Nigerians voted for in 2015.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
