Court jails House of Reps member for lying under oath

An Abuja Magistrate Court has sentenced Victor Mela, a member of the House of Representatives, representing Billiri/Balanga federal constituency of Gombe state to prison with an option of fine for committing perjury, lying on oath in the INEC form he filed for his election. 

 He claimed he did not have dual citizenship while possessing a British passport which shows he is a citizen of Britain. 

 The court, however, gave him an option fine. Born 1973, Mela earned a degree in geology from the University of Jos in 1999 and a masters in sedimentology and petroleum geology from the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University in 2006. 

 He was elected to the House of Representatives in 2019 and is vice-chairman of the solid minerals committee.