A police ambulance transported Mr Melaye - who is known as the "singing senator" - from the capital, Abuja, to Lokoja city in north-central Nigeria early this morning, his media aide, Rotimi Ayodele, said.

He was then carried into a magistrate court on a stretcher.

Mr Rotimi said he was awaiting news from the hearing.

Mr Melaye has been accused of sponsoring and arming political thugs. He denies the allegation, saying he is a victim of a plot to end his political career.

He is known to be at loggerheads with Kogi state governor Yahaya Bello, even though they both belong to the ruling party.

Yesterday, police wheeled Mr Melaye on a stretcher into a magistrate court in Abuja on charges of attempting to escape from "lawful custody".

The Abuja magistrate granted Mr Melaye bail of 90m naira ($250,000; £184,000), but he was re-arrested by police.

Mr Melaye had been under police guard in a hospital in Abuja since last week after he sustained injuries while allegedly trying to escape by jumping out of a police vehicle. His allies say he was pushed.

At the weekend, the election commission threw out a petition to force him to step down as a senator, saying only about 5% of signatures - 18,742 out of 189,870 - could be verified.

The senator is well known for his love of luxury cars, champagne and designer clothes, once appearing in a music video depicting his lavish lifestyle.

The song Dino, named after Mr Melaye, features lyrics like "100 cars in the parking lot like I'm Dino".

The video shows rapper Kach pretending to eat dollar bills, displaying expensive cars, a mansion, jewellery and shoes.

Mr Melaye gained the nickname of the "singing senator" for posting videos on social media taunting a rival in song